Their Midsummer Night's Dream
by Arabella-Minette
Summary: A story slightly based on the film Get Over It. Arnold loves Lila and tries to win her over during H/school perfomance of Midsummer Night's Dream. During which he realises she isn't so perfect, someone else is. Eventual H A and G P. Rating now at T
1. Chapter 1

Their Midsummer Night's Dream

_A/N__ Heya, well I had an idea of writing a high school Hey Arnold story, which goes somewhat along the lines of the film Get Over It. If you've never seen it, then it follows a school production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The lead character joins the production, in order to get closer to the girl of his dreams, but in the end realises that she isn't that great after all, and falls for someone else who helps in his quest. Okay so I think you know where I'm going with this. Eventual Helga + Arnold and Phoebe +Gerald._

_This chapter is introducing everybody, I hope you like it, and please review good or bad to give me pointers and let me know if I should continue_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold, craig bartlett does.  
_

Arnold shook his head, trying to draw his eyes away from the picture in front of him. It didn't work. As soon as he raised his gaze again, it was instantaneously and unwittingly drawn to her. As if she knew she held his, and the majority of the other guy's attention, she giggled louder. Flicking the rippled waves of her auburn hair out of her face, she continued to talk animatedly to Rhonda at her side. Comparing them was like comparing the sun to the moon, Arnold thought to himself. Rhonda was all about commercial beauty, whilst Lila...

He let a small sigh escape his lips. Why was he still hankering after her after all these years? Why was it that she haunted his dreams? What was the power she had over him?

"Arnold....Arnold......Hey Arnold!" Gerald, the Afro-American by his side shook him by the shoulders, dragging him out of his trance. His eyes focused on the face of his friend next to him

"Huh.....Ger...." Arnold managed to stammer out. The table laughed at the classic sight of their friend being caught in the headlights, so to speak. Blushing slightly, he shook his head again as if to clear it of its thoughts. Finally he returned to looking back at his best friend beside him

"Lila was saying Arnold..." Gerald started, but she immediately cut in with that sugary sweet voice of hers, batting her eyelashes at him like she was just playing a game.

"I was saying Arnold that I'm ever so certain we should start." With that she turned back to Rhonda with a smile playing about her glossy lips. Arnold had to stop himself from staring at them again, and so he looked round the table.

"Right, well as everyone's here now I guess we can-" A small voice piped up from beside Gerald at his left. Phoebe, a small Asian girl they had known since preschool, leaned slightly across him and towards Arnold, to be certain that he heard her.

"We're not all here yet Arnold, Helga hasn't arrived" It was amazing how much attention such a small voice commanded Gerald thought privately. Arnold on the other hand slapped himself lightly on the forehead. Of course, Helga.

The sugary sweet voice started up again "Oh I'm so sure that she wouldn't mind if we started. After all she's ever so late" Arnold gazed at the watch around wrist. Only 15 minutes late, and any way she was one of the gang, same as all the rest of them...

"She deserves us to wait, she's one of us" He said, more to himself than anything, but realizing what he had just voiced, he thought of Lila's comment as a little harsh.

"Oh I'm sure I didn't mean anything by what I said" the red head muttered, dropping the sweet tone just a little. Arnold was just thinking her comment over when the bell over the door rang, and Helga walked towards them.

They were all gathered round a large table, with a window facing the dock, framing a picture postcard view. Helga had no idea why Arnold had called this meeting, but when he phoned her last night she had agreed with very little battle. She had mellowed out over the last few years, but still contained that fire about her which was so unique. Raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at Lila, she flopped down into the space on the bench beside Arnold that he had just made for her.

"What didn't you mean Lila?" The comment was polite enough, but there was a slight edge to it; almost like a sword. Arnold chuckled slightly to himself as he thought of this, and then his mind gave to the fact that most of Helga's chosen comments were weapons. She used them skilfully, knowing that you'd only be impaled if you walked into the trap set for you. She was clever like that he mused. However he noticed that Lila wasn't taking this questioning at all well.

"I...well I...was just saying that..." Lila stammered as all sweetness left her voice completely. Helga raised her eyebrow a little higher. Rhonda, obviously bored and wanting the meeting to start already, swept her raven locks behind her ear and intercut in her ever so slightly haughty voice

"She was commenting on your tardiness Helga." Helga swept the table with her deep blue eyes, finally resting them on Lila. Her long blonde hair tied back, not in its trade mark pigtails but in one graceful ponytail, her pink ribbon formed an alice band round her head, though some of her short bangs escaped it framing her face. She's pretty, Gerald grudgingly admitted to himself, but then as an afterthought he added; damn is she a handful.

"Well" Helga began, addressing the table but keeping her gaze firmly on Lila "if you must know, my father wanted me to run an errand for him whilst he and mom returned Olga to the airport. So I had to leg it to Finnegan's before coming here."

"Wow, but that's all the way to the other side of town!" Sid exclaimed from his corner of the booth. "It's a wonder that you were only 15 minutes late and not 50!" Arnold shifted sympathetic eyes towards Helga; he knew that a thing like that would be given no thought by Big Bob Pataki.

A waitress came forward to take their orders, and when she left Lila leaned slightly towards Arnold. Why did she persist in giving him the shivers? "Well now that that's cleared up" her sugary sweet voice intact once more "I'm ever so sure that you should tell us why we're here Arnold".

He cleared his throat slightly, surveying his friends "Erm right..." they all turned to face him, and so he continued "Well as you know, we have a week left until our junior year at high school..." groans emitted from the majority of the class mates and he grinned at them "...Well yeah exactly...so I was thinking that we should all do something together before we go back, like a party or something. I wasn't sure when you were all free so..." Rhonda cut in once more

"It can be at my place on Saturday". The table nodded its assent and the girl smiled to herself, she loved being the hostess. "Just one thing, maybe we should do something a little different..." With this Nadine's face lit up

"How about a themed party?" at that Lila giggled excitedly, making Helga roll her eyes. The friends round the table started talking eagerly about different themes whilst the food arrived. Rhonda gave a commentary of "No too over done" or "Not varied enough" and even with the flicking of some fries at the offender "Stinky, what the hell were you thinking of?". Finally Phoebe found her voice again

"Ahem" she gave a little cough and everyone turned to stare at her, making the girl blush a little. "How about 'exotic'?" Lila gave another giggle, it was starting to really try Helga's patience, whilst enrapturing Arnold all over again. The group nodded in assent once more, they had found the perfect theme. Helga smiled in encouragement at her best friend, and the table started to clear as they paired off and made excuses to leave.

She turned round, ready for the lonely walk home and swung her bag over her shoulder. Lila was saying her goodbyes, making Helga wonder to herself, what was it about that girl that made her feel so sick? She watched Lila leave Arnold, batting her eyelids at him, and walking slap bang into some guy. It was now that a giggle escaped Helga. Curse that girl, she thought, half an hour with her and i'm becoming just as light headed as she is! The giggle stopped however when she saw Arnold's face.

The guy had picked Lila back up to her feet, and they were openly flirting, before she seemed to relent and he led her away, his arm draped about her shoulders. This sight left Arnold looking openly hurt. Helga sighed, she didn't understand why he was still chasing after her, she wasn't worth him, and of course being infatuated with Arnold herself, she was envious. It was more than that though, she could feel his pain and disappointment. Making her way back to him, Helga dropped her heavy bag.

"You okay football head?" It was a nickname now, rather than an insult. He looked so dejected, when he finally raised his eyes to her.

"Yeah I guess..." He trailed off, before looking at her and continuing "It's just....I don't know why I like her so much, I don't know why I keep trying..."

"Look Arnold" Helga interjected, another sigh escaping her lips "If she's not interested by now, and she hasn't seen how great you are, then she's not worth it" He really looked at her then, before giving a small smile

"Yeah..I guess-" he stopped realizing something "Hey you just complimented me". She flounced off in front of him, out of the cafe, as he trailed after her.

"Yeah well Arnoldo" she muttered "don't get too used to it!" He put his head back and laughed, trust Helga! She turned around with a scowl "What's so funny?" but she couldn't hold it in, and exploded into a fit of giggles. At least he seemed to have cheered up again.

When he stopped laughing he turned to her, a grin plastered on his face "You need some company on the walk home?" She smiled back, and he knew exactly what she would say.

"Whatever floats your boat, football head".


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N Thanks for the comments and for adding the story to alerts, it means a lot to me :) So this chapter is all about Lila's new relationship with the mysterious hunk she bumped into, from the opinions of her friends. Hopefully there will be some funny moment as well as some touching ones and some backgrounds to the characters, so you enjoy. The next chapter I write will be focusing on the upcoming party (chapter 3) which should be a good one._

The last week of the summer holidays had sped by for the ex students of PS 118. It was a blur of hot sun shine, trips to the beach and the icy cool taste of cherry coke on a parched throat. For Rhonda on the other hand, it had been all about planning the upcoming party, and that meant numerous shopping trips to the mall with Sheena and Nadine. On this occasion however, Rhonda had invited all of the old girls plus a few of her new high school friends to Lloyd Manor, in order to discuss costumes for the event.

Flipping her silky black hair out of her eyes, Rhonda motioned for the housekeeper to bring through the snacks, and then turned her attention back to the assortment of girls gathered in front of her. They were sat in the conservatory/pool room to make the most of the last heat of summer, Rhonda of course had taken a sun lounger for herself and had inclined for the others to find a spot to perch. She surveyed them all, noting with a smile that Phoebe had a notebook and pen to jot down any ideas. Nearby to her friend was Helga dressed in a white tank top and a pair of denim cut offs. Stretched out by the pool with a few other girls, she had taken to dangling her legs into the cool blue water.

Though not exactly good friends, Helga and Rhonda saw more eye to eye nowadays. They understood each other, and in understanding a friendship had blossomed. Of course most of the time Rhonda was joined by Lila, and that was perhaps a reason why Helga had never pushed too hard with the new found friendship. Thinking along this tact Helga came to evidently the same conclusion as her hostess. Wrinkling up her nose Rhonda Wellington Lloyd turned to Nadine

"Where's Lila?" Nadine shrugged her shoulders, at a loss and returned her attention to painting Sheena's nails. Rhonda gave a disgruntled sigh before trying again. "Does anyone know where she is?" A mousey haired girl, with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose piped up.

"I think she's off with her new boyfriend". This comment as was probably intended, sparked a wild fire of gossip amongst the girls.

"Who is it Claudia?" A girl sitting to the right of Helga asked, curious on what the gossip would be. Claudia, the one who had initiated the conversation, gave a grin

"Well, I've heard that he's a singer in some band!" before a chorus of questions on the band started up (what sort of music did they play? Were they successful? Where had they done gigs?) Rhonda emitted a low growl. Heads swivelled their attention back to her, just the way she liked it.

Clenching her teeth together, the hostess flicked an imaginary speck of dust off of her Givenchy blouse (possibly in order to hold the suspense, mused Helga to herself) before continuing. "She is _supposed_ to be here." She gave a slight pause as though trying out the effect of those words before saying anymore "I gave her an invitation and she accepted. I don't intend to be dropped for some guy."

So all in all Rhoda Wellington Lloyd wasn't having the best time of it that particular week. Not only had Lila deemed it unnecessary to show for the costume discussion ("I just wanted to make sure that no two people were dressed the same!" Rhonda sniffed dolefully to Sheena) but she had neglected to meet her good friend for their weekly run ("She'll never keep her new man if she doesn't stick to our 5 point regime!" reached Nadine's ears) and finally she had been late shopping, to which Rhonda's only answer had been an exasperated growl. No, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd was definitely far from happy.

One who was sharing her situation, was a certain 16 year old boy. After hearing from Sid and Stinky all about Lila's new date ("They reckon he's the lead singer of a band, and he just returned from touring Europe!" Stinky claimed. Not to be out done Sid had retorted "Well I heard that he has his own jeep, and a ton of money from the album sales!" Stinky thought for a moment before topping this "Well I gotta source, who reckons he gunna be in the next Walmart ad" until Arnold was tearing his hair out in frustration) yes after that, Arnold had the misfortune to see the happy couple everywhere he went; in the grocery store, in the cinema, at the dock, at Slawson's...until finally he could take it no more of it.

"Gerald I've gotta come up with a plan!" They were sitting in the Johansson's living room, Arnold was slouched over the sofa and his best friend sat on floor playing on the playstation. It was the first day of respite Arnold had received all week, and he had gotten his fill of the happy couple already.

"Huh?" Gerald turned round for a second, before hearing a loud bang and turning back to the game "Shoot I crashed" he muttered to himself shaking his head and resetting the play. Arnold took no notice of that and pushed forward with his chosen conversation.

"I mean he's called Boxer, what sort of a name is that?" Gerald shook his head again absent mindly

"I have no idea man..."

"It's not just the name even" his friend started again, picking up a cushion and plucking at the tassels. Gerald looked over and gave a frown, taking the cushion away and flinging it to the other end of the sofa.

"Hey do you mind, that's my ma's" He turned back to the screen and realized he'd crashed again "Damn it!"

"Sorry Ger" Arnold sighed before continuing from where he had left off "It's not just the name, it's the fact that I've been in love with Lila since forever, and suddenly he knocks her over and he gets her!"

Gerald nodded "I know, what's with that man" before starting the game up again.

"Exactly! My point is that I should be happy for her..."

"Huh?" The change of direction caught his friend's attention. Then again that was Arnold for you, always the good guy...

"I just want to know that she's considered me before I give up. I have to find away to prove my feelings and let her know the real me." Gerald nodded and swivelled around again

"Shoot!" He suddenly bellowed jumping out of his skin. Looking round at Arnold he put on a sheepish look and set down the controller. "Erm...so how exactly are you going to do that?"

His friend gave a smile at the sudden outburst and then cleared it immediately for a more thoughtful look. "That's just it...I need a plan of some sort. If it doesn't work out after she's gotten to know me then I can just bow out gracefully and leave them to it."

Gerald gave a sceptical look "Well whatever you say dude. I'm just gonna wish you luck with that plan." And with that he turned back to the game leaving Arnold to ponder to himself.

When he finally left Gerald's the sun had set, and Arnold's head was buzzing with numerous ideas and schemes, each one crazier and more outrageous than before, even if he was a 'bold kid'. I need somewhere to just clear my head of all this stuff, he thought to himself, and with that he crossed the street and headed towards the park.

The moon rose in the clear sky and a slight breeze whispered through the trees. It was a balmy evening and as Arnold walked through the grass, he reached down and pulled of his shoes, walking barefoot and whistling a tune to himself. This was just what he had needed. Then as he neared the bench he stopped, he could just make out a lone figure on it. The rest of the park was deserted, who could it be?

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you" he called good heartedly to the shadow and turned in order to retreat. The shape sat up and turned to face him

"Arnold?" He breathed a sigh of relief and retraced his steps back to the bench, the figure shifted over and he took seat.

"Helga, it's you" She fixed him with a quizzical stare and raised an eyebrow as she was apt to do.

"Well of course it's me football head, who were you expecting?" He shrugged at that, his thoughts hadn't really reached that far. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Staring into the mid-summer night he let out a sigh, temporarily relieving some of the tension he felt in his heart. "Just trying to gather my thoughts...my head seems so full of everything at the moment". He turned back to face her and was surprised when she nodded.

"I know what you mean...sometimes when I can't think straight I just come here and write..." she trailed off momentarily forgetting her normal behaviour. Arnold hardly ever saw this side of Helga, he decided to humour it.

"Is that what you're doing here?" She nodded, focusing like he was on the swirling shadows of the moon-lit night.

"I couldn't take my family any more, Bob was ranting on about how I scratched the car when I took it out earlier, and Miriam was pretty much paralytic." It was her turn to sigh, she seemed so weary without her usual energy and fire. "So I came here..." Arnold felt guilty for not considering her problem, and dwelling too much on his own. He put an arm round her shoulder.

Helga left it there for a second or two before shrugging it off uncomfortably "Jeez Arnoldo, there's no need to manhandle me!"

"Ssorry Helga" he stammered apologetically before stopping and allowing a smile to fill his face, there was the old Helga back. She shook her head to show that she wasn't really bothered, and returned her gaze to the twisting limbs of the trees in front of them.

"So I guess you're caught up thinking over the whole Lila thing" he swept his eyes towards her, wondering how she could be so perceptive. Her face unfortunately gave away no clues, so he leaned back and rested his arms behind his head before acknowledging her comment.

"Yeah...and I don't know why I just can't get her out of my head" he could have sworn he heard a sharp intake of breath just then coming from his companion, but ignoring it he continued. "I was thinking it over and I've decided that I'm going to try and get her to see the real me, and if that doesn't work....well then I guess she's better off with him". Helga nodded pursing her lips, wondering on whether she should say the right thing, or whether she should say something in her interests. She decided on the former.

"That makes sense, and I'm sure that if she doesn't want you after seeing all that, then everyone will think she's crazy". He smiled at that, thinking how funny it was that after feeling like he had, the only person who could make him feel better was Helga G. Pataki. Rising to his feet he offered her his hand.

"You wanna get a pizza or something?" she regarded it cynically for a moment or two before accepting and allowing it to pull her up.

"Well I guess I've got nothing better to do football head" His face lit up with a grin and they started off together towards the park entrance. "Oh and I've got a question to ask you" Arnold turned towards her then wondering what it was. She on the other hand kept staring ahead.

"What kind of name is Boxer?" He let out a cackle of laughter and she did likewise doubling over. After a moment to recover from their fit of laughter Helga looked back at him with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

"Race you!" And with that she took off, dodging tree trunks and zig zaging into the street. Arnold shook his head, giving her a minute's head start before running after her and into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N Hey guys, as promised this chapter focuses on just before the party, and then the duration of it. We get to meet Boxer, and see some Arnold/Helga moments and even a Phoebe/Gerald bi. It starts off quite descriptive, taking a look at __the friendship between Phoebe and Helga. Anyway I hope you enjoy, and feel free to make suggestion for the next chapter; the first day back at high school. Thanks_

It was four days after Rhonda's costume planning meeting, and Helga still didn't know what she was going to wear. She had muttered to Rhonda that she would figure something out, and had left it at that. Days had gone by with nothing jumping out at her, and what was worse than the fact that she had spent four days at this thankless task, was the chilling reality that the party was only 24 hours away. She gave a groan and turned away from Phoebe's computer screen; there was only so much googling that a person could handle.

If Helga was stressing, then Phoebe on the other hand was as cool as a cucumber, lying on her bed and reading a magazine. She looked up and wiggled her eyebrows at her friend. "Don't worry Helga, I'm sure you'll think of something." The words unfortunately did not have the desired effect of soothing the girl. She was determined that she wasn't going to wear just something, it had to be perfect!

"It's alright for you Pheebs, you've known since Sunday what your outfit was going to be!" Phoebe conceded and nodded in assent at this; she had known straight away what she was going to wear for the party. She'd wanted to explore her Japanese heritage, and had come up with the idea to go as a Geisha. Helga had seen the kimono and she knew that it would compliment her friend's look beautifully.

"That's true Helga, but not everyone is like me. And anyway you've still got time..."

"Crimany Pheebs, the party's less than 24 hours away!" Feeling immediately guilty for this outburst, Helga sat down beside her friend, logging off the computer. "Sorry...it's just...this thing has to be perfect." At this Phoebe again nodded in understanding. "Do you have any suggestions?"

The small Asian girl furrowed her brow as she thought. "How about something Egyptian?" Helga shook her head sadly.

"Claudia's going as Cleopatra, and anyway I'd have to get a wig or something to cover my blonde hair."

Leaving that suggestion behind Phoebe thought again, pursing her lips into an "Oh" like shape, and then suddenly snapping her head up "A native American, like Pocahontas?"

As much as Helga would liked to have agreed, she shook her head again "I want something special...something that's powerful and just..." she made a vague gesture with her hand "...different." Boy was this a tough one, Phoebe thought to herself! She struggled to come up with something like her friends description.

"You mean like a goddess or something?"

The girl beside her shrugged, perhaps. Gazing into the distance, a million thoughts flooded into her head, and then Phoebe clicked her fingers, making Helga gaze curiously at her best friend. She had it! With a grin on her face she started gushing "Oh and it would be perfect for you..."

She trailed off, pleased with herself that she had been the one to come up with it.

"Well would you like to share it?" Helga was ever impatient, but she said that in a pleasant way making her friend blush instead of shying away from her.

"Sorry..." Helga waved her hand in a 'don't think about it' manner, and leaned closer to Phoebe. The girl started up again. "The Greek goddess Artemis..."

"Who?"

"Don't you remember, we learnt about the Greeks in 5th grade?" Helga shrugged

"Pheebs, I don't have a photographic memory like you" The Asian giggled a little nervously at that before continuing.

"Well the Ancient Greeks had numerous gods and goddesses that they worshiped, and this one in particular was Artemis the goddess of the hunt"

"So like a female warrior or something?" Helga perked up, this did sound right for her.

"Exactly, yes. She carried a bow and arrow every where she went, and they say that a man saw her bathing naked once and so she blinded him."

"I'm starting to like this Artemis!" Phoebe gave a grin

"I knew you would." Then she continued on with her description "Not only was she a powerful huntress, but she was also very beautiful," as an afterthought she added "she depicted the moonlight." A smile played about her friend's lips, and she reached out hugging Phoebe. It _was_ perfect!

With that sorted, the girls gossiped and giggled for the next couple of hours, until tiredness came over them. Helga laid down on the spare bed and stared wistfully at the ceiling, She was going to enjoy this! Agreeing that they would go shopping for the costume in the morning, they switched off the light and both girls fell into a serene sleep.

* * *

A few blocks away, just like Helga, Arnold had also been worrying about the party. But for a completely different reason. Sighing he shifted uncomfortably in his bed and thought about earlier, when Sid had confirmed his fear; Lila was coming to the party with Boxer. Arnold on the other hand had no date. Not that he wanted one if she wasn't Lila, but...

Argh he just couldn't sleep! Sitting up in his bed he stared at the stars shining through his sky-light, wishing he could feel as weightless as they looked. He remembered the night before, when he'd hung out with Helga. He'd felt kind of weightless then, so why couldn't he now?

It was odd that she'd had a peaceful effect on him, considering that she wasn't a very peaceful person. He wondered on this for a second or two. Perhaps he could phone her, see what was up. Maybe that would make him feel better...

He cursed himself, how stupid and thoughtless of him! He wasn't going to use her as some sort of pacifier, that was mean and Arnold wasn't ever that selfish. And besides, it was 01:30 and he wasn't going to disturb her. She was probably in bed now anyway...

And with that thought in mind, Arnold closed his eyes and finally fell into the calming embrace of sleep.

* * *

It was 7:35 and guests had been arriving in dribs and drabs for about half an hour. Keeping a keen eye on the door, Rhonda was gossiping with Sheena. Both were dressed in Hula girl costumes (though admittedly Rhonda's looked more spectacular) and sipping cocktails complete with little umbrellas. A third girl moved from the 'grand salon' where music was being pumped out and into the hall to join her friends.

With an indignant toss of her head she motioned to Rhonda "I still don't know why we have to wear matching costumes..." The hostess turned on her, dark eyes flashing in a menacing manner.

"I told you Nadine, we have no dates and I don't want to be dressed like _this_ by myself!" Rhonda gestured to the admittedly, slightly revealing outfits. Combing a hand through her hair, Nadine let out a low grumble.

"Fine, but I doubt Lila will be joining in..." at this Rhonda gave a half-hearted shrug, as if she didn't care what that girl did any more. Of course this couldn't be further from the truth. Her friend continued "Do you reckon she'll even be here tonight? Nobody's seen her since she met up with Boxer..."

"She better be!" Sheena pitched in at this. Dumping friends for some guy, went against all of her principals.

This thought however was interrupted, as at that moment the doorbell rang and the girls turned to greet the arriving guests, Rhonda swinging open the door.

"Oh, hey Arnold, Gerald..." The boys stepped into the lusciously decorated hallway, glad to escape the slight September chill which had crept into the air to the amazement of all. Sweeping an eye over the outfits displayed in front of her, Rhonda gave a hint of a pout. "So Arnold, you're a..?"

The boy let off a little chuckle and scratched the back of his head. He was dressed in a leather kilt and sandals, and a gold breastplate with a flowing purple cape attached to it, at his hip there was a small ceremonial sword. Gerald had talked him into coming as a roman centurion at the last minute. "I think it's supposed to be Julius Ceaser, but I could be wrong...I'm a roman soldier anyway." The girl gave an approving nod, not exactly what the theme had in mind, but it was a good costume.

Arnold shifted slightly to the side and Rhonda suddenly let out a gasp of surprise, her eyes widening in shock. Nadine and Sheena caught each other's gaze and try to contain their giggles. "Wwell Ggerald...." the hostess stammered "it certainly is exotic, isn't it?"

He cocked an eyebrow and gave them a twirl. The African-American was bare-chested and all he was wearing was a loin cloth made from leopard skin. He let out a booming laugh "I'm Tarzan!"

"Well er yes...you certainly are" Rhonda muttered and motioned for them to go through to the salon. "Music's in there and of course the pool room is being used for drinks" the guys nodded and headed off together. When they turned the corner a low whistle emitted from Nadine, the quarrel was evidently forgotten.

"Did you get a load of that!"

The doorbell rang again, and Rhonda caught the handle, wondering if she would see anything as outrageous as the last display. Instead Helga and Phoebe were revealed.

"Wow girls!" they smiled at each other. In a pink and gold kimono Phoebe certainly looked exotic, and her face makeup was simply astounding (it had taken an hour's help from both her mom and Helga), her long black hair was pulled back into a sophisticated twist, giving an overall beautiful appearance.

"I'm a maiko or in other words, an apprentice geisha" She giggled.

"It's gorgeous" Sheena interjected "you'll have difficulty keeping the guys away from you!" This comment caused Phoebe to blush a little, and she moved further into the hall. If Phoebe was gorgeous, then it had to be admitted that Helga was something of an ethereal beauty.

She wore a midnight blue Grecian Gown, fastened with gold clasps and with a low back, skimming the floor at the bottom. The colour of it made her eyes stand out, surprisingly bright. Slung over the dress was a delicate golden bow (which the girls had managed to find in a costume shop and had hired for the evening) and on her head sat a matching golden diadem (like-wise), her blonde hair was tousled into curls and cascaded down her back. She was beautiful. They both were.

* * *

Walking into the pool room, the girls sat at one of the small wooden tables that had been set out especially. Gazing around the surrounding area, Helga took in the fairy lights strung up tastefully and the bar at the far end of the room, where Rhonda's butler Jennings was serving.

"Wow." The exclamation came from Gerald who placed his drink down on the table, and gaped longingly at Phoebe. Drawing up a chair he lent towards her with an appraising look "You're stunning." He said it matter of factly, and it set the girl off blushing again, not that you could tell through her makeup. He motioned to Arnold who had just collected a drink, to come over and join them, pulling up another chair.

His friend walked over and plopped down into the empty seat to the left of Helga. Turning to face her, Arnold choked on his drink. Phoebe and Gerald were deep into a conversation, and didn't seem to notice.

"Very smooth football head" he gave another splutter and then saw her grin. He returned it.

"Sorry Helga...it's just...you look...so..." He couldn't think of a word for it, but he knew he'd never before seen her so...

She gave a flick of her hand as if to shrug the comment off, but her smile grew wider. "And what are you supposed to be?"

Arnold explained, ending it with a comical roll of his eyes and nodding his head "It's all Tarzan's fault here" Gerald looked up, mildly confused

"Huh?" But before his friend even opened his mouth to clarify, Gerald held out his hand to the Geisha next to him. "Do you wanna dance?" she gave a little nod, and they excused themselves from the table. Arnold looked round the now slightly deserted pool room and raised his eyebrow.

"And then there were two" Helga however, was seemingly lost in her own thoughts. His eyes drank in the arch of her neck, the tilt of her chin and the curve of her lips. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was tonight! He swallowed before catching her attention again "So what is your costume?" She turned to face him and a lump caught in his throat.

"The goddess Artemis" Her lips curved a little more, and Arnold thought how much she looked like one, before shaking his head and the contemplation melted away. The moment passed.

They talked like the old friends they were, making each other guffaw with embarrassed and at the same time enjoyable laughter, until the room had completely emptied. She regarded him with a slight stare.

"You wanna go and dance football head?" he grinned at her and they made their way to the salon. Holding out his hand she took it, settling her other on his shoulder and his grip found her waist.

Surveying the room he took in all the different costumes, some extreme, some simple and some just a little bit skimpy. He still hadn't seen Lila, and for that he gave a contented sigh, his attention back on his partner.

"Jeez Arnoldo, no need to stare" She murmured, shifting ever so slightly in his arms. There was a slight pause between them and then the door banged open, the moment had gone again for Arnold.

He stopped dancing, his gaze momentarily drawn to the entrance way and he saw her. He let go of his partner all together now and took a step forward in order to see better, for a small crowd of friends had appeared. His back to Helga, he didn't see her flounce away from him.

Lila stood in the doorway, dressed in a turquoise belly-dancers costume and with her red hair flowing free. She was snug in the arms of a guy who could only be described as pretty. He was muscular, had a slight tan and greased down short brown hair, when he smiled it showed off his dazzling teeth. He wasn't really in costume, just wearing a Hawaiian shirt which was unbuttoned at the front; presenting his smooth chest, and wearing some navy swimming shorts.

"He is _so_ fine" a girl muttered somewhere to his right, and Arnold pulled a sickened face. Gerald made his way up behind him

"What a poser" Arnold nodded, and though it might have been slightly unfair, he didn't seem to care that much at that moment.

"Hi ladies" Boxer twinkled and parted through the crowds, walking over to the DJ he handed over a disk and muttered something before moving to the middle of the room and motioning towards Lila. Giving a little giggle she practically flew over to him, grinning from ear to ear. Boxer turned to the curious faces looking at him, he commanded a strange sort of presence. He appeared to remember something and giving a small smile (sending numerous girls into swooning frenzies) "Oh this is my new single "Just our crush", I hope you enjoy it." With a wink the track started up, and attention moved away from the couple in the centre of the room.

A sickeningly sweet, bubble gum pop filled Arnold's ears as he and Gerald moved back towards the bar. "Who does he think he is, making an entrance like that and putting on his track?" The boys heard a squeal and turned just in time to witness Boxer dipping Lila low before swinging her back up again. They continued into the pool room and Gerald shook he head "I have no idea man".

* * *

Arnold spent the next hour downing beer after beer, angry at himself for not stopping. Angry that he hadn't the heart to congratulate Lila and be happy for her! Gerald had finally given up, and left the room with Phoebe again.

Standing, Arnold realised his head was spinning. A wave of nausea came over him, and he stumbled towards the back door, reaching the outside just in time. He emptied the contents of his stomach, leaning his weight against a tree. What was wrong with him? Why had he done this? He cursed himself for his behaviour.

Looking up he spotted with surprise Helga making her way towards him, she'd been sitting on the stone wall nearby, thinking things over to herself. A frown was creased on her face, despite putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Shoot Helga...I'm so sorry, I just left you". He stumbled over the words, sobering up when their meaning sank in. She nodded, and though the frown lifted a little he noticed the hurt in her eyes. What had he done it for? "I'm an idiot Helga... I've spent the rest of the evening beating myself up over Boxer when I could have been having a good time with you and the others" he said guiltily, adding "I'm sorry, forgive me?" She nodded again, and his heart lifted a little.

"Jeez no need to beg" he gave a weak smile. "Anyway I'm sure you haven't missed much, the party started to really stink way before charm boy got out the karaoke."

Arnold gave a little splutter "He what?" she nodded again as he looked at her incredulously.

"He's in there with princess doing a grease number." Shaking back his head Arnold laughed harder than he would have thought possible a few moments before and Helga joined in, glad to have cheered him up. There was a twinkle in his eye when he turned back to her.

"Do you wanna find Phoebe and Tarzan, and leave?" She gave her assent and when they entered Lloyd Manor again, he saw the light wash over her, bringing her ethereal look to attention once more. Letting out a small gasp, he caught her hand and stopped her.

"You know, you do look beautiful" and he could have sworn that he saw a look of complete pleasure pass through her bright blue eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hmmmphurgh!" Sitting up and blinking slightly against the sunrays pouring in through his skylight, Arnold searched bleary eyed, for the perpetrator of the shrill noise which had woken him up. Finally finding said offending item, he brought his fist down onto the alarm clock and was instantaneously pleased at the effect this had. Rolling onto his side, Arnold tugged the covers over his head in an effort to continue with a rather pleasant dream he had been having (involving Lila and a hosepipe).

However no sooner had he decided to do this, than his phone started to ring. "Umphrrrug!" giving a obvious grunt, Arnold sat up again and grabbed his phone, wishing the world would just leave him alone. "Yeah?"

"Oh hey man, you want me to stop by and pick you up in half an hour?" Arnold held his head in his left hand, rubbing his temple and shifting slightly in his bed.

"Huh....Ger what time is it?"

"7:45. Man you sound exhausted...you did remember that we got school today didn't ya?"

Oh, school. Arnold gave another groan before getting up and agreeing to meeting his best friend at 8:15. Shuffling out of his room, he had a quick shower before shoving on a shirt and pair of jeans, and attempting to fix his bed hair. Actually he decided, peering at his reflection, school wouldn't be too bad; he'd get to meet with all his friends again, and have a chance of seeing Lila without charm boy hanging around.

Pleased with his appearance, Arnold checked his watch and fairly flew downstairs and into the kitchen, mumbling good morning to his grandparents.

"Well hello there short-man, slept in?" Grandpa chuckled before offering Arnold a piece of toast which he gladly accepted. "Gerald gonna pick you up?"

Arnold nodded and answered "Yep" between mouthfuls bread, finishing just as the sound of a car horn penetrated his thoughts. Jumping up he said goodbye, grabbed his bag and threw open the front door, sidestepping the plethora of animals huddled round the porch and stumbling down the steps. This comical sight earned him a grin from Gerald, who wound down the window and motion for him to get in.

"No offence, but you're a bit of a mess this morning!"

* * *

Pulling up outside Hillwood High, it seemed like they hadn't been away for a summer, and Arnold felt himself smiling at the familiarity of it all. Leaving the car the boys saw Stinky and Sid and headed towards them, making for the school entrance.

Joking around, they walked through a flock of nervous freshmen scurrying around the corridors, and noted a gaggle of giggling sophomore girls (earning a "Damn they're fine" from Stinky) before reaching homeroom. Flopping down in his usual seat next to Gerald, Arnold felt totally at peace.

That was until he made out a tanned and muscular figure in the doorway, bidding goodbye to Lila in a rather original manner.

"What the hell's he doing here!" Arnold didn't realise the hiss had escaped his lips before Helga leaned over the row towards him conspiratorially and whispered back

"I've heard that he's gotten a transfer." Sid who was sitting in the row behind them gave a small nod.

"Yeah, but don't worry Arnold you won't have any classes with him, he's a senior."

Whirling around to face both, Arnold gave an exasperated sigh "How is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Gerald gave him a friendly pat on the back as Arnold turned round to the front of the class, just in time to see a couple of jocks chucking paper balls at the happy couple and yelling at them to stop "sucking face".

Giving her boyfriend a pout, Lila slinked into the classroom and settled in her seat beside Rhonda, just as their Tutor; Mr Emmerson arrived.

Settling his stuff on the desk before him, Emmerson strode into the middle of the room and regarded his students with a quizzical eye. The background chatter continued as the old man attempted to address them

"Ahem. Well class, we have another year..."

"...Another year in which to perfect our craft..." Gerald muttered, earning him several giggles as the teacher continued to say those very words.

"...Another year for us to do our very best..." Stinky kept up the game, lifting Arnold's spirits somehow. There was something comedic about the fact that in 25 years of teaching, Emmerson never changed his start of term speech.

"Another year to work hard and play hard..." raising his eyebrow slightly Emmerson continued with his favourite joke "although be careful, you don't want to injure yourselves!" Giving a little chuckle to himself the tutor reached into his pocket and drew out a sheet of paper. "So class as requested by Principal Watts, I have a list of notices to... ahem, work through." Rolling his eyes Arnold leaned back against his chair, this was going to be a long hour.

"You are to note that the car park is out of bounds at lunchtime..." the voice droned on and on with all the usual messages, before reaching the final announcement, by which time half of the class had fallen to sleep and the other half were shooting spit-balls at the man's back.

"...And last, though not to say the least...Mr Gideon has decided that this year, the school performance is to be 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' the musical." Helga sat up, taking notice "All those interested are to sign their name on a list I have here at the end of the class for auditions."

With his moment of glory finally over, Emmerson shuffled round the class room to hand out timetables as the students relaxed in the 15 minutes before lessons started. Murmuring thanks, Arnold looked down at schedule before him.

"Anyone have European History next?" Helga was the only one to give a nod and so the two decided they would walk together. Meanwhile Gerald was holding his head in his hands

"Oh man, double Calculus...."

Gerald soon left with Sid and Phoebe, the maths block being on the other side of the building, which left Arnold waiting awkwardly for Helga to gather her stuff together. He didn't know why he felt nervous with her, it was Helga for Christsake; he'd known her for most of his life. Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts he realised it was because of his actions on Saturday.

She on the other hand seemed to have no qualms about it, and smiled up at him. Arnold gave a gulp "So...er...you wanna get going?" She gave a slight shake of her head, causing her blonde bangs to cover her eyes which she abruptly swept away.

"I wanna sign up for the auditions if that's okay" Oh yeah, Helga took Theatre Studies.

Arnold nodded "Of course" and they joined a small queue at Emmerson's desk, Lila was just in front of them with a brunette Arnold recognised as Frankie from his Biology class. Not one for listening in on other's conversations, Arnold nevertheless had difficulty trying to block Lila out.

"Of course what with Boxer being ever so musical and all, we decided to try out together for the play. Imagine if we both got leads!" Frankie bobbed her head up and down in excitement.

"Oh yes just imagine!" Helga rolled her eyes and gave a good-natured chuckle, which Arnold joined in with. After signing her name on the list, Lila turned with a swish of her shiny red locks and left giggling with her friend oblivious to the two behind her.

Muttering under her breath, Helga stepped up to the desk, just as Arnold stopped in his tracks. Wait a second...that's it! That's the plan! I can join the play and hopefully get a good part, and then Lila will notice me and...and...

"Arnold? We're ready to go..."

"Er um...Just a sec Helga, I think I'm gonna sign up too.." He grabbed a pen and scrawled his name down for an audition on Wednesday, as Helga regarded him in a confused manner, and then light dawned on her

"Oh I see..." She would have felt a bit pissed, if it wasn't for the heart-stopping grin he sent her, so she just shrugged and led the way to their class, starting up a discussion featuring Emmerson and the photocopying machine.

* * *

"Don't you see Ger...this is a perfect plan!" Gerald just played with his pudding and furrowed his brow in concentration.

"I don't know Arnold, I mean stuff could go seriously wrong..." instead of dampening his spirits, Arnold just grinned more broadly and took a sip of coke.

It was lunch time, and the boys had managed to grab a spot on the school playing fields, at Gerald's insistence. Arnold had to admit that it was relaxing, but he had a funny feeling that this had nothing to do with relaxation. This feeling increased the more that his best friend turned to watch the Girl's Soccer Club practice, his eyes darting to Phoebe effortlessly passing the ball to Helga. Tearing himself away, Gerald focused on his best friend again.

"Well, you don't dance man...and er....do you have time to be learning lines and shit?" Arnold shook his head as if these problems were nothing, and took another sip.

"I'm telling you, this plan is perfect, I'll be able to spend time with Lila legitimately, and she'll be able to decide whether I'm better than Boxer..." At this Gerald interrupted

"But you'll be going into open competition with him..." But it was no use, there was no swaying Arnold once he was decided on something. Instead Gerald turned his gaze back to the girls who had now packed up and were approaching them.

Arnold chuckled and launched a chip at his friend

"Staring much?" The boy just shrugged and stood up

"Hey Pheebs, over here"

"Pheebs?" Gerald shot him a look which shut him up instantly, instead Arnold decided to nick some of his friend's pudding whilst he wasn't looking.

"You wanna join us?" 'Pheebs' nodded and settled down beside Gerald, giving him a small smile and tucking her dark hair behind her ear. Helga on the other hand joined Arnold, sitting down with a slight grunt.

"Tough practice?" she turned her light blue eyes on his

"You have no idea..." laying back onto the grass, she stared up at the clouds and hummed to herself. For some reason or other this made Arnold grin, however this was soon wiped off his face when Gerald realised his pudding was gone. With another frown, his friend turned his attention to the group in general.

"What do you say we all get together tomorrow evening and grab a pizza or something?" They nodded in assent apart from Helga who just rolled onto her tummy and gave another grunt. Apparently she was too worn out to speak.

* * *

Tuesday evening came quickly, and it found Arnold at his friend's house.

"Do you reckon this counts as a date?" Arnold shrugged at Gerald, who was preening himself in front of a mirror.

"Not unless it counts as me going on a date with Helga..." Gerald gave a sigh, obviously he wasn't pleased with his outfit as he proceeded to change _again_.

"Nah that's not the same...there's no tension between you two, she's just Helga..."

Arnold mocked indignance at this "Hey there could be tension if I wanted it!" His best friends was used to Arnold's special brand of humour and just rolled his eyes.

"Sure there could...now tell me what you think of this outfit"

"It's great, now come on Ger, we're gonna be late if we don't leave now" Checking his watch Gerald muttered 'holy shit' and the two boys rushed to the pizza parlour, getting there just in time to greet the girls.

They were shown to a corner booth, Gerald sitting next to Pheobe and Arnold plopping down beside Helga who turned to face him.

"So did you get the audition pack?" He nodded

"Yeah, although I have no idea what song I'm going to sing..." Phoebe grinned across the table at her friend, happiness evident on her face

"Helga knows" A dull blush crept up Helga's neck and pooled onto her face, as she turned to look away.

"What are you going to sing?" Arnold asked politely, wondering what could be so embarrassing. Helga gave a little wiggle of uncomfortability.

"Okay but you've got to bear in mind that I'm a nerd, and I like 80s ballads..." Neither of the boys had actually known this about her, but Arnold decided not to bring it up at that moment. "Well....I'm going to sing 'Wuthering Heights' by Kate Bush..."

"What the hell's that?" Gerald quieried, Arnold just grinned

"I can see you as a Kathy..." Helga's nose wrinkled

"Shut up" It wasn't said with malice though, and Helga let out the small cough of a laugh before turning her attention back to the menu

"So wadda you guys want?" Gerald who was still confused, just shook his head and turned his attention back to Phoebe, striking up a conversation about music.

"Actually, you know I'm a bit partial to Prince's 'Purple Rain'" Arnold added

"His what?" was the exclamation came from his best friend, but Helga smiled as he had known she would, and that from some reason made him happy.

"So who wants mushrooms on their pizza?" this comment earned more of an outburst than the last, and Arnold sat back enjoying this time with his friends.

* * *

3:45...he had 10 minutes until his turn. He was nervous, very nervous. Maybe Gerald had been right, maybe this was a stupid plan. It was a long time since he had done Romeo and Juliette in the 5th grade, maybe he should have left his acting career at that. It was highly probable that he wasn't cut out for the stage.

7 minutes. Okay he could be calm, he had practiced the audition piece, and he had a song ready. But what if they wanted him to do something he hadn't prepared? Could he improvise? Arnold swallowed the lump in his throat, it _would_ be fine.

4 minutes...why was it taking so long? He twisted the script in his hands and looked at the clock in the hall, watching every second tick past. Finally the door opened and a girl was ushered out. Arnold smiled blandly at her, and waited until his name was called before entering the drama studio.

It was a dark room with tiered seating, and a stage along the opposite wall to him which he approached now. Standing in the middle, he shielded his eyes from the spotlight and began his piece. He tried to watch the head of drama out of the corner of his eye, but it was difficult and he wasn't sure how he had done until he stopped and noticed the man nodding his head in approval.

Mr Ernest Gideon was a small man in his fifties, with slicked back brown hair and rather bushy eyebrows. He was fond of velvets suits and shirts with ruffles and frills reminiscent of the 1970s, maroon was a colour that was a big hit with him. His character was one of a highly eccentric person, and he lived dangerously in between ecstatic happiness and a dark temper which was difficult to lift. However at this moment in time, it seemed to Arnold that the thespian was very happy indeed.

"Bravo, bravo...now let's move on to the singing" Gideon drawled in his high voice, accentuating every syllable.

After the introduction of Miss Hilde on the piano, Arnold started up his prepared song; "What went wrong"- Blink 182. It was accepted quite well, and when he was finished Gideon inclined his head.

"Very well done Arnold. The results will be published by Friday, you may go now" Giving a sigh, Arnold exited. It had gone well, thank God.

Leaving the studio, he was so caught up in rerunning the experience in his mind, that he walked straight into Lila, almost sending her flying

"Shoot Lila, I'm so sorry" he offered her a hand, which she took making him blush. "Wha...huh...are y y you here for auditioning?" he managed to splutter out, which set her off giggling.

"Why Arnold I didn't know you were trying out for the play" She managed to get out in between giggles. This made everything much worse for some reason.

"Well....I...actually I..." She reached up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, silencing him.

"Its fine, actually I better get going" she nodded towards the door "but I'll see you around"  
"Yeah..." and with that she was gone. Cursing himself Arnold headed in the opposite direction. He hoped that this plan would work. He needed it to work. He needed Lila.

Well he'd know on Friday...

_A/N Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter, although it is a filler chapter i think its important for where I want to head. Suggestions and comments are welcome and hopefully the next chapter will start to get alot more interesting. Also I hope you like my chhoice of song for Helga, I just thought she seemed a bit quirky like that...oh and also I hope you like my depiction of Lila. Anyway thanks for taking a look._


	5. Chapter 5

Lila's deep brown eyes swept over the room, taking in the collection of photos (some of the band on tour and others of Boxer with various girls) the made bed (with an assortment of colourful pillows) the plasma screen TV and the lack of any real mess. Resting against the doorframe, she rose her gaze to the man in front of her.

"So what do you think?" Boxer's face relaxed into his familiar easy smile and he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"It's ever so lovely darling" Lila answered, stepping deeper into the room and allowing her boyfriend to pull her down beside him. It _was_ lovely, in a pristine sort of way...but Lila couldn't help thinking to herself that it lacked any sort of warmth and personality.

She decided very quickly that this didn't matter; she was just happy to be with Boxer. Happy enough that he had chosen her above anyone else, happy that he thought she was special. Looking up at his devilishly good-looking face, she found herself drawn to his dark eyes, and she shuffled up closer to him.

Although this reaction had been sudden, Boxer couldn't be surprised. Instead he placed a hand on her stocking clad thigh, and locked his lips with hers. She gave a little 'oh' sound, and then reacted to the kiss, the touch of his palm seemingly burning her.

Hungrily he laid Lila back on the bed, and rained down kisses onto her neck, collar bone (and sweeping down her dress strap) her naked shoulder, building up the intensity of each one. In reciprocation she ran her fingers through his hair, moving down-wards until she was stroking his neck.

He gave a little grunt and then slid his tongue into her mouth, exploring it, at the same time allowing his hand to rub her thigh and then start to move upwards...

"Oh...stop..." Lila murmured, dampening the fire he had lit inside her. She couldn't do this, she wasn't ready yet. He didn't protest, but immediately jumped back; as if he had been scolded, a grimace looking out of place on his handsome face.

"Sorry, it's just...I don't think I'm ready to go that far" a crimson blush spread itself guiltily across her normally pale face, and she sat up to try to hide it from her boyfriend.

"Sure, I understand" It didn't seem like he did though, his jaw set at a funny angle and his brow furrowed. However he didn't show his displeasure to her, he turned away and in the blink of an eye, anyone could have sworn that it had all been imagined, his usual grin curving up the corners of his mouth.

That was the thing about Boxer; he had such easy charm, that no one could even consider him doing something bad, or at least something he shouldn't. He could turn his allure on and off at will and it never disappointed. Only if you had skill to see past it, could you contemplate his truly selfish nature.

Lila on the other hand hadn't a selfish bone in her body; she was good natured, sweet and amusing. There wasn't much depth to her, but this was not necessarily a bad thing. She was the epitome of wholesome joy; the life and soul of the party and a girl who made everything fun. If there was some significance to her personality, it was the fact that Lila was needy: she needed company, she needed adoration, and above all she needed to be loved. It was this that led to Lila's next actions.

Lacing her thin white fingers with his, she looked up at Boxer, her eyes sending him a silent plea.

"I'm ever so sorry darling, why don't we just talk instead?" Even Boxer couldn't ignore those doe eyes, and so his head bowed into a slight nod which starting her off talking. He wasn't really paying any attention as she launched herself into a description of what plans she had made with Rhonda, what they had done earlier that day, and what she wanted to purchase from the mall.

"And of course I was oh so surprised" a small giggle escaped her glossy lips.

"Mmm..." Was all Boxer said in response and instead of letting her pursue this, he sat up and grabbed the remote from his bedside table "Could you just quieten it for a minute babe? I think my new commercial is coming on". Without waiting for assent he switched on the TV and focused all his attention onto the screen, as Lila stopped and paid homage to the alter ego that appeared there, just like the good girl she was.

* * *

On the other side of the neighbourhood four fellow Hillwood High scholars were checking out the ad, featuring a scantily clad Boxer, a tropical oasis and a bottle of cologne.

"Xcitement for men. Release your inner beast" the virtual Boxer twinkled at them, before giving a (supposedly sexy) growl.

"Oh man..." Sid couldn't continue with the sentence he was laughing so hard, tears gathering in his grey eyes. Instead he collapsed onto the sofa and shoved a handful of chips into his mouth, chuckling to himself.

"I know!" Gerald exclaimed, clapping his friend on the back as Sid started to choke. "Who woulda thought Boxer could look so...so..." he made a vague gesture with his free hand, which all the boys seemed to agree with.

"Arnold, don't you be worrying 'bout Boxer, I don't know what Lila see's in him" Stinky added, watching the boy out of the corner of his eye. It was a little known fact that Stinky could be surprisingly perceptive. Although Arnold was laughing like the rest of them, he couldn't help but feel that now familiar niggle in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah I know Stinky, it's just..." at this the boy let out a sigh "she deserves better than him" After spitting out the offending chip and massaging his throat, Sid turned to the blonde on his right.

"Look Arnold, she's chosen him and that's the end of it. It's up to her to decide whether or not he's worth her attention. All you can do is support her if anything bad does happen" stunned at himself for imparting this pearl of wisdom, Sid shrugged and reached for the chips, only to be batted away from them by Gerald.

Arnold nodded; he knew he was being ridiculous in focusing his every waking moment on their relationship. It was starting to eat him up. "You're right Sid, I know you are. I can't stop feeling annoyed about it, but the least I can do is to be there for her." The guys agreed and Gerald even let out whoop.

"That doesn't mean I have to give up on her though..."

* * *

Friday morning dawned bright and early, finding Helga on her usual morning jog. The last warmth of summer caused her skin to glow, the sun shone down from a cloudless sky, and a faint breeze was playing in the trees lining the street, making them wave as she passed them. All Helga could hear was the pounding of her feet, her laboured breath and the thudding of her heart and even with this deafening cacophony of noise, her nervousness wasn't drowned out.

Today she would find out whether she had a part in the school production, and she didn't have clue how well she had auditioned. Mr Gideon had seemed relatively pleased with her, but there were so many talented people trying out, and lead roles were bound to go to the seniors.

Not really paying attention to where she was headed, she took a left turning, her legs on autopilot and leading her home.

She was guaranteed to get a part, even if it was small, so what was she worrying about? But Helga knew herself, and she knew that she was nothing if a perfectionist. She always strove do the very best, to achieve the utmost that she could. She wouldn't be satisfied with playing a part in the chorus.

Letting herself into the house, Helga trudged up the stairs and got into the shower, washing away her troubles down the plug-hole. She knew that her love of drama had been awakened when she had appeared in Romeo and Juliette all those years ago. There was something that had amazed her about creating an imaginary world, and getting under a character's skin. She liked the escape that you got, the thrill from appearing on stage and the elation of a successful reception.

Getting out of the shower, Helga got dressed hurriedly and then looked out of the window, waiting to catch a glimpse of her best friend.

Helga always shared a lift to school with Phoebe; her parents didn't have the time or inclination to take her, and there was no chance that she would still take the bus in her junior year. So at 8:10 on the dot (Helga wanted to be 5 or so minutes early to check the notice board) her friend pulled up outside the house and Helga jumped out of the front door and rushed to the car.

Although they were early as anticipated, there was already a huddle of students around the board and hanging around the corridor. To get close, Helga had to elbow her way through crowds with Phoebe trailing in her wake.

"Is it there yet Helga?"

"Nah, I guess Mr Gideon has only just arrived..." Helga was cut short as someone jostled into her, nearly sending her flying. "Hey watch out!" her eyes narrowed when she realised who it was.

Boxer turned and flashed her a toothy grin "Sorry baby, didn't see you there" he was without Lila for once, which gave the hordes of swooning girls a chance to get closer to him, and he had obviously mistaken her for one. Well she wasn't.

"I'm not your baby!" she growled menacingly, regretting it almost immediately. Phoebe moved closer to her for morale support.

Helga always had a quick temper, but she was learning how to control it. And so wanting to leave this exchange she turned around, spotting Arnold heading this way with Sid and Stinky on his tail and waved them over.

Boxer on the other hand wasn't happy to let the argument drop.

"Oh, keep your knickers on darling! No need to get so excited, you're not my type anyways..." this came out in a drawl, but those closest to Helga (both in proximity and in familiarity) noticed a sharp edge to his words. She whirled around in a flash, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Excuse me, but my knickers aren't going anywhere near you!" he moved even closer to Helga, invading her personal space and causing Phoebe's eyes to widen with alarm. His face was barely an inch from hers.

"Why you stuck up little..." but whatever Boxer was about to say, he never got out because Arnold pushed himself in between the singer and his close friend.

"What do you think you're doing Boxer?" His hands were balled into fists and he stared his rival down.

Boxer just sneered at him. "What's it to you Arnoldo? What you can't get Lila and now you're scared you're going to lose out on this skank? Well don't worry; I've already told her I don't go for stuck up bitches..."

"Shut up man!" Helga heard Sid exclaim behind her, and she was grateful for his support. What she didn't expect (though maybe she should have) was Arnold's reaction to this. He was normally the calm one, the peacemaker, and that was why she gasped.

He grabbed Boxer's shirt and shoved him hard against the wall. Hard. "What... the... hell... DID YOU JUST SAY!"

Boxer pushed him away "Get your freakin' hands off me!" He looked like he was going to kill Arnold. They were both squaring each other up, ready to lunge at their foe when Mr Gideon rounded the corner.

"Both of you in my office now!" His face turned purple with anger, jaw set, and he glared at the two boys in front of him who hesitated for a second, still breathing heavily. "I said now!" spittle flew out of his mouth and he gestured at the corridor to the right.

Sending a glance in Helga's direction Arnold shuffled after Boxer towards Gideon's office. He never was one to lose his temper, but he had been justified hadn't he? Would the tutor care about that though? Arnold doubted that very much.

Worse than this, was the fact that Lila chose this time to arrive and the look she sent them both made Arnold's insides burn with shame. He didn't regret defending Helga and he wouldn't, but he didn't have to act the way he had. He'd worsened things instead of making them better, which wasn't his intentions.

Mr Gideon delayed just long enough to pin up the cast list, and then turned on his heel and marched after the unruly boys.

They were waiting outside his door silently (Ernest Gideon was a teacher who commanded immense respect, and as such they weren't about to try his patience) and he let them in, motioning for them to take the two seats in front of his desk, whilst he leant against the window ledge, his arms folded. Once his anger had subsided somewhat (and with it the rage of the two opposite him) he turned on them.

"Now are you going to tell me what on earth you thought you were doing, brawling in the hallway?" his voice was cold and calculating, his blue eyes looked from one boy to the other. Boxer was the first to answer, his nose wrinkled up in disgust.

"He" he jolted a thumb in Arnold's direction "Attacked me, I just retaliated."

It was Gideon's turn to scowl "And I suppose you did nothing to provoke him Mr Bates?"

Arnold looked up at this "He insulted a very good friend of mine, and then started on me..."

The tutor walked back to his desk and perched on the edge of it. "Hmm, and of course you tried to be a knight in shining armour Mr..."

"No" Arnold interrupted, immediately wishing he hadn't when Gideon rounded on him.

"No you didn't!" He screeched, causing Boxer to let out a small guffaw, which unfortunately for him did not go unnoticed "Don't you dare laugh Bates! Both of you are as immature as each other! I have a good mind to kick you out of the production..."

"We're in the production?" Arnold queried, confused by this sudden change in the conversation, his brain buzzing after everything that had occurred that morning

"Ah, you didn't even see the cast list did you?" there was a degree of smarminess to his tone "Well as much as I dislike the fact at this particular moment, you are in the play." He focused firstly on the blonde "Arnold you are understudy to Demetrius; you will fill in if anything happens to Mr Gammelthorpe who has taken that role. In the meantime you shall play the part of Egeus, the father of Hermia. The roles shall all be explained at the first meeting on Monday." He now turned to dark haired singer "Boxer, you have great talent and as such I have appointed you as Lysander. Now don't let me down." He paused for a moment to let these words sink in. "Either of you!" The boys both nodded

"I will not have tension between my cast members. You will bury the hatchet now" again they nodded their heads. "Now shake on it. And if I see any hint of a disagreement again, you will both be out of the play and on your arses, quicker than you can blink. Now get to class!"

* * *

Helga had sat with Gerald, Sid, Stinky and Phoebe for lunch (having filled Gerald in on what had happened between his best friend and Boxer). None of them had seen Arnold since this morning (not having any lessons with him) and all were worried.

Giving a sigh Helga realised it was no use, she didn't feel like eating. Setting down her fork she scanned the cafeteria for him.

"Man, I have never seen Arnold lose his temper like that" Stinky finally broke the deafening silence which had been circling the table like a vulture for the last 10 minutes. Sid shook his head.

"He was completely justified though. I mean what Boxer said about Helga..." he let this hang in the air, unsure of how to finish the sentence, and then finally selecting the right words "in his position, I would have done it"

Gerald nodded in agreement "Yeah I mean from what you guys have said I guess that's true, but we need to keep him away from Boxer..."

"I think it's the other way round to be honest, Boxer just wouldn't leave it" Stinky added after a thoughtful pause.

Finally Helga spotted him, heading in their direction with his lunch. She stood up "He's here!" They all turned and smiled encouragingly at Arnold, who stopped when he reached Helga. "Are you okay?" he nodded and they both sat down, Arnold taking the seat next to Gerald.

"Yeah, Gideon wasn't impressed, but he was alright. And we both got parts in the play so he made us 'shake on it'. I don't think either of us is very happy but, it could have been a lot worse." His friends nodded in understanding.

"What about Lila?" Sid asked "She arrived just as you two were leaving, I think she knew something was up". Arnold gave a groan.

"I know, I feel so bad...I think I'm just going to leave her completely alone before I make things worse. I don't want to lose her as a friend..."

Gerald gave a smile "Good for you man"

"Yeah I think it is actually" Arnold bit into his sandwich, God he was starving! "So er, what have I missed?"

Phoebe looked up "Well to be honest Arnold, most of the talk was about you and Boxer..."

"Yeah, understandable"

"But Helga got a lead in the play" Arnold turned to his friend

"You did?" She nodded, a hint of a smile playing about on her lips, happiness flooding back into her face.

"Yeah I got the part of Helena, it was the role I wanted."

He grinned at her "Congratulations"

She blushed a little before inclining her head "I saw that you got understudy of Demetrius. Oh and Lila got the part of Hermia" (How typical, she thought to herself. She gets to play the love of Arnold's life).

"Wow, I'm surprised that Gideon didn't choose more seniors" Helga silently agreed, but since her last thought, her attention was caught up with watching Lila and Boxer. Though she never thought it would be the case, she actually felt sorry former...

* * *

They always sat on a table with Boxer's friends, even though Rhonda complained. It had no effect; Boxer wouldn't relent and anyway Lila didn't really mind that much. What Lila was bothered about, were the events of earlier that day. She wanted to understand what had gone on, and what she couldn't comprehend were the reports she kept hearing about her boyfriend. She laid a hand on his muscular arm.

"Boxer, aren't you going to tell me what happened?" He growled at that, he had been in a conversation with Kevin about his upcoming modelling job, and Boxer didn't like to be interrupted.

"What's there to tell?" It came out as a snap and he sighed at how harsh this sounded, giving Lila a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm sorry babes, I'm just stressed out. Anyway you know what happened, that punk started on me..."

"But I've known Arnold for years and he would never do that..." He gave her a sharp look which stopped her in her tracks.

"Well he did, and that's the end of it!" He noted the look of hurt in her eyes and decided to change topic "Now what do you want to do this evening, you can pick where we go" she smiled up at him adoringly.

"Thanks Boxer"

* * *

Lunch period was over and Arnold and Helga left the table to walk to Literature Studies. Her face had turned a furious red colour and she turned away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice.

Arnold mistook this action for something else "Helga are you angry with me? About what I did earli..." She snapped her head in his direction, forgetting the embarrassment.

"Of course not Arnold! I'm really grateful for what you did" he gave a small smile and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand.

"Well I couldn't let him say that about you...and..." She actually stopped then

"And?" He raised his deep green eyes to hers

"And you know, what he said about Lila and the way I feel about her"

"Oh, yeah"

* * *

Rhonda Wellington Lloyd wasn't happy, and when Rhonda wasn't happy, the fact became well known.

She was pacing backwards and forwards in her bedroom, narrowly avoiding Helga who was sitting crossed legged on the floor observing the others; Phoebe sat in the desk chair, and Sheena and Nadine were perched on the end of the king sized bed (seemingly huddling in terror).

"I mean what the hell does she think she's doing?" Sheena raised her eyebrows so high, that they disappeared underneath her bangs, causing Phoebe to giggle, this however stopped with the venomous look which was shot to her.

"I..I..thought we were pro Boxer?" Nadine asked, confused with where this was heading, and creasing her forehead in thought. Rhonda whirled around, nearly knocking into Helga again.

"We are not pro Boxer, and we never have been!" Braver girls than Helga G. Pataki would have shied away from this scene, but she never could resist a chance to tease, and so she raised her hand.

"What!" Rhonda fumed "do you want?"

"Well, it seemed to me Princess that you were pro Boxer at your party last week, I mean you even got the karaoke out and did a duet with him" Sheena nodded at this, stopping when Rhonda narrowed her eyes.

"That was not being pro Boxer, that was getting to know your enemy!"

"Whatever you say princess..."

"Anyway that's not the point." Nadine dared to look up again

"It isn't?" The coast was clear, Rhonda's temper had momentarily subsided.

"No, it isn't" She lay back onto her bed, propping herself up on her elbow and surveying her 'subjects'. "The point _is_, that he isn't good for Lila. I mean Christ, have you seen the way he treats her?"

Phoebe nodded "But the problem is, she does everything he says..."

"Like dropping us!" Rhonda started again. The sad truth was, she wasn't even being melodramatic this time. "I don't know about you guys, but I think we need to do something to help her"

Helga let out a sigh and ventured her own opinion, as much as it pained her to admit it "I actually agree; that guy is a creep"

Sheena gave a small shudder "Yeah I heard about yesterday...it was really nice of Arnold to stick up for you"

"Yeah, but you know how much he's hurting from the whole Lila/Boxer thing. He's practically nuts over the girl." Nadine jumped in

"But even so, you should have seen his reaction even before Lila was brought up..."

"Enough" Rhonda silenced them "this is another point at how bad Boxer really is. And what can we do? Nothing, that's what! Nothing until that girl comes to her senses..."

"Which hopefully will be soon" Helga muttered, and they all nodded.

"Ah well, let's talk about something else" Sheena skilfully changed the mood, handing round a bowl of grapes and putting on cheesy CD. Rhonda didn't reprimand her for treating her bedroom like her own; the hostess didn't feel up to much at that moment in time. Instead she sat back and listened to the gossip.

"So Phoebe, what's this I hear about you and Gerald?" Nadine questioned, making the smaller girl blush

"Oh...well...erm, n n nothing"

The others all swapped knowing looks and giggles.

* * *

Gerald Johansson had never really _fallen_ for a girl before. Sure he'd had crushes, and sure he'd gone out with a few, but to be honest there hadn't really been someone special to him.

"I just...I dunno man, I feel so protective over her and..." he looked sheepishly at his best friend "I love spending time with her, and well...I..."

"Gerald you should ask her out" He looked up at Arnold

"But how am I ever gonna do that? I mean I get so nervous when I speak to her..." Arnold gave his friend a small smile.

"Let's put it this way, I think she likes you back, and if she does then she'll be just as nervous as you, so one of you has to make the first move"

"I suppose you're right man" the blonde boy nodded eagerly

"Yeah 'course I am! So you gonna do it?"

Gerald bit his bottom lip before responding in a strained voice "I guess so...I'm gonna ask Phoebe out"

Arnold let out a chuckle "Good".

_A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter...longest one so far!! P__hew it was a quick update, but I felt myself getting really drawn into the story. I'm quite fond of this chapter, I think it kind of broadens the horizons of everything, and you get a different point of view rather than just focusing on Helga and Arnold. Tell me what you liked and didn't like, and also __feel free to give me some suggestions for the next chapter (when rehersing will begin amongst other things.)Anyway __thanks for reading this and thanks to all those who have written reviews and added this to alerts and favourite stories; it means a lot :)_


	6. Chapter 6

Monday brought with it a steady downpour of grey drizzle, causing numerous puddles to pool in the school car park, and a sleek shine to appear on the pavements. Looking up at the ominous dark clouds overhead, Helga G. Pataki inadvertently let out a shiver and tugged her jacket even tighter around her slim frame.

Phoebe looked over at her best friend, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "You know that I could wait around for you until the meeting finishes right?"

Brushing her sopping bangs out of her eyes Helga shook her head, dismissing the idea "Nah Pheebs, I don't have any idea how long it'll go on for, I can't ask you to wait all that time" she thrust her arm forward awkwardly, her hand clamped so tightly around the handle of her bag, that her knuckles were white. "Would you be able to take my book bag though?"

The smaller girl nodded taking the offering and slinging it onto the passenger seat. "Of course, but just make sure that you hitch a lift or something....you don't want to be walking home in weather like this". At that particular moment in time, the wind decided to give a menacing howl and snatch at their clothes and hair; causing Phoebe to shuffle into the driver's chair and secure her seatbelt.

Smoothing her outfit down, Helga agreed in order to keep her friend from worrying (though not really meaning it) and waved Phoebe goodbye, all the while trying to hide the evidence of her chattering teeth. She waited until the car had disappeared out of the school gates, before turning on her heel and squelching through potholes full of water, towards the theatre.

* * *

Eugene Horowitz tugged one hand nervously through his unruly ginger mop, trying to discharge the nervous feelings that were coursing through his body. Still shaking slightly, he rose his hazel eyes and regarded the crowd of swarming peers that were all gathered in the school theatre. Some he recognized, but for the most part the faces were new to him, and he wondered how on earth he would be able to instruct them all.

Gulping he turned around and walked slap bang into something hard, sending him crashing to the floor. This experience wasn't new to Eugene and rubbing his back with one hand, he placed the other in the outstretched palm before him, allowing it to pull him up and meeting Arnold's gaze.

"Eugene, I'm sorry! Are you..." the red head nodded, answering before the question had been even asked.

"Yeah I'm okay" dusting himself down, Arnold searched his mind for some small talk to make the moment a little less awkward.

"So....you got a part in the production?" The blonde mentally kicked himself; of course he had, why else would he be here? Eugene who was still feeling anxious, glanced around the room quickly before returning to the old school friend before him.

"Well sort of...Gideon gave me the job of stage-manager" Arnold's eyes widened causing the clutz to blush slightly.

"Wow Eugene, that's great! He must really believe in your abilities to choose you for something like that"

The redhead rubbed the back of his neck in the manner of someone a little embarrassed, and let out a rather high laugh. "Yeah it's fantastic...just I'm a bit apprehensive you know."

His companion nodded "Of course, but you'll be great"

With a half hearted smile Eugene quickly answered "Er thanks..." before glancing around again "well I'm pretty busy, so I better get going" before leaving Arnold alone, who surmised that it must be the nerves.

Turning from the fleeing boy, Arnold looked around for a friendly face, ignoring the crowd gathered around Boxer and Lila, and let his eyes fall upon the slightly dishevelled looking Helga who had appeared in the doorway. Taking in her drenched appearance he raised an eyebrow and made his way towards her a smile curving at his lips.

Shaking the damp tendrils of blonde hair out of her eyes, she took into the dark room, lightened by interspersed spotlights before acknowledging him.

"Sup Football Head?"

Planting a mock grimace on his face he counted with his usual "Must you call me that?" retort, albeit with a hint of humour to his tone and she shrugged.

"So I guess it's still raining pretty hard, huh?" He questioned, immediately cringing and mentally punishing himself again. What was wrong with his brain today?

Again she shrugged, seemingly bored with the conversation, and he noticed her tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear, sending a shiver down his back. Shaking it off he noticed how wet she was and removed his sweater, handing it over to her.

"Take it, you must be freezing"

She scowled slightly "Nah I'll be fine, honest" and pushed it away, causing Arnold to sigh.

"Come on Helga, its okay to admit defeat once in a while". Rolling her eyes, and snatching it from him she gave in and tugged the garment over her head, covering up her sodden t-shirt and bringing her a little warmth.

Wrapping both arms around herself she suddenly turned a dazzling smile onto her friend.

"Who says I've been defeated?" Arnold, as usual surprised by her quick change of mood lifted his curious eyes to her twinkling blue ones.

"Huh? Waddaya..." The doors to the right of them banged open, revealing an abnormally sedate looking Ernest Gideon, and causing the blonde boy to near jump out of his skin.

Helga attempted to stifle a giggle as Gideon winked at them before heading to the stage along the far wall.

Wrinkling his nose, Arnold regarded his companion. "Why are you..." but he was stopped again as she grabbed his hand and dragged him closer to the stage in order to hear what the drama tutor was going to tell them.

* * *

Motioning for everyone to take a seat, the teacher mounted the steps to the platform, and Arnold settled down on the floor next to his friend, all traces of mirth gone from her face.

Eugene and Miss Hyde joined Gideon on stage, flanking him, and he raised a hand to quieten the crowd, all noise immediately dying away. He cleared his throat and gave a slight pause before starting. He knew as well as Arnold did, that everyone in the room would be hanging on his every word.

"Well then. I can safely assume that everyone present, is here due to interest in the school production" there was a wave of murmured agreement before that too died down, Gideon surveyed the room with his icy eyes before continuing. "Good good, I'm glad nobody has come here hoping for clog dancing or somesuch." A ripple of laughter was enjoyed this time, again stopping in order to hear what the tutor would say.

"Right, well I thought first to tell you of the play, before giving you some information. I'm afraid that today's meeting will just be me talking to you, but it is essential that you know the story." Arnold silently agreed, he didn't remember most of it, and so he leant back and got ready to listen.

"Well, the play takes place in Ancient Greece, in the fair city of Athens. A city of beautiful white marble buildings, of temples and libraries and warm sunshine..."

Arnold's imagination took off, as he envisioned such a city; people dressed in robes walking down the crowded streets, women carrying jars and goods, men bartering over the price of food at the market place, soldiers guarding the doors to grand palaces.

"A Duke of this city by the name of Theseus, to be played by Mr Henry Worthing" An aristocratic, fair haired boy nodded. "Is planning his marriage to the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta, portrayed by Lola Chikawatee" he motioned to the tall African American girl.

-----

_Arnold could see the fair duke robed in crimson, luxuriating in his palace; watching his warrior wife to be who was scantily clad in a golden, translucent sheath and leather sandals. The tall queen stood in the pleasure garden, leaning against a gnarled old tree trunk and drinking in the sunshine, feeble compared to that of her African homeland, the light causing the circlet around her forehead to glint. Theseus regarded the woman with a burning longing, flicking his blonde locks out of his grey eyes and leaning against the window embrasure, causing the taut muscles on his back to stretch. 'Soon' he soothed himself 'she will be mine'._

-----

"However another wedding was being planned at the same time, that of a noble's daughter Hermia played by Lila Sawyer" the girl giggled "and Demetrius played by our very own Mr Thaddeus Gammelthorpe" Thaddeus, or Curly as he was known by many, had changed little from their PS 118 days. Although he was a lot taller (he now rested at 6ft) and had traded his old glasses in for contacts, he still had floppy black hair a, slightly eccentric character, and a crush on Rhonda. At the moment he was grinning madly and waving to his peers.

"Although Hermia doesn't want this match to go ahead, her father Egeus is pushing for it; Demetrius is of noble blood and let us not forget that arranged marriages were very common in those days" the crowd nodded and drank this in. "And this part of the father will be played by..." Arnold didn't hear this, as he had received a glare from Boxer and was retaliating when Helga gave him a slight pinch. Rubbing his arm, he looked at her questioningly before realizing that everyone was watching at him. Oh yeah he had that part. He smiled and they turned away, as he went back into his daydream, where he and Curly had swapped roles.

-----

_Demetrius (Arnold) gasped as he saw Hermia enter the party room, her auburn curls pinned up and twisted, held away from her face by a diadem of tiny flowers. Her white robe skimmed over her chest and then flowed over her slim figure, trailing behind her. She was the most beautiful girl in the room, and she would be his. Her father was beside her and nodded in Demetrius' direction, causing his raven bangs to fall into his eyes before flicking them away. The boy knew that Egeus agreed with matching him to Hermia, it would only be a matter of time before she would relent. She however passed him by._

-----

"This is of course, where all the trouble starts. Hermia's closest confidence Helena is pinning after Demetrius. They had a brief romance but he left her still in love with him. This part is to be played by Miss Helga Pataki" The girl beside him blushed slightly and Arnold gave her an encouraging grin.

-----

_Hermia wasn't interested in him, and he couldn't understand it. Instead she made her way to her confidant in the corner. Helena raised her gaze to her friend's fair face with a small smile, before looking straight over to him. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul, but why? He had never loved __her had he? She too was wearing a white robe, but hers was gathered under the bust and nipped in at the waist, showing off her slightly more curvaceous body before gracing her long slender legs. Her outfit was simpler than her friend's and instead of an elaborate hairstyle, her blonde tresses were allowed to cascade down over her shoulders, instead of a diadem there was a single red flower tucked behind her ear. Demetrius had to agree that she was attractive, but as she broke the gaze and turned away, he focused back on Hermia; the one that he wanted._

-----

"The plot thickens, due to Hermia's infatuation with another young noble, by the name of Lysander, played by our infamous Mr Boxer Bates" there were a chorus of cheers as Boxer bowed his head in recognition. It was Arnold's turn to glare, but meeting Helga's eyes he merely made a 'harrummph' sound and turned away.

-----

_Lysander entered the room, his dark hair sleeked back and his brown eyes twinkling mischievously. Demetrius made a mental note as all the girls (minus Helena) swooned, that he __would wipe that smug look off of his face. He strutted (yes strutted, like the arrogant peacock that he was) over to Hermia and planted a kiss on her cheek, causing her to giggle and blush. The blonde noble's heckles rose, she was a __taken woman goddamn it! She was __his woman!_

-----

"Theseus finds out about this secret love and gives an ultimatum. Hermia has three choices; either she will marry Demetrius, enter a nunnery or be put to death. She has four days in which to make her mind up."

-----

_Theseus was displeased, and the Duke always got what he wanted. Pacing up and down the solid marble flooring, he let out a low growl. In his opinion stubborn young lovers must be shown the error of their ways, and after hearing from Egeus of his non-compliant daughter, he made a decision._

_Calling the four teens into his presence chamber, he settled himself on his throne, surveying each one before stating his judgment: Hermia would marry Demetrius. The boy inwardly cheered before seeing her and stopping himself, he didn't just want her; Demetrius needed her to love him back. Glancing over his shoulder he caught Lysander's angry glower._

-----

"Of course the story doesn't stop here. Instead Lysander and Hermia decide to run away into the forest. Helena learns of this plan and informs Demetrius in a desperate stunt to earn his love. Obviously he rushes after the couple and reluctantly Helena follows."

-----

_How dare she run off with that despicable braggart, well he'd win her back! He would prove his love! All he needed was a plan._

_Oh and to deal with Helena, she couldn't just be left to trail after him. He shot a look behind him, and caught sight of her stumbling over a fallen branch in the dark forest. He had to agree that at night time it was frightening; rustling noises and silvery moonlight casting long shadows which created a ghostly atmosphere. He shook his head, allowing a sigh to escape his lips before returning and helping her up. 'Come on, we've got to keep going'._

-----

Arnold drew himself out of the day dream, and turned his attention back onto Gideon.

"This is complicated by other inhabitants of the forest on that fateful night. There is present the fairy court, complete with King Oberon, played by Mr Nick Redill"

Arnold caught sight of the red head and knew that he would be just right for the part, there was just something impish and playful about him.

"His faithful servant Puck who is to be played by Harold Berman..."

Wait! Harold was here? But he hadn't even signed up for auditions had he? Arnold raised an eyebrow at Helga who looked just as stunned as he was. They finally located him in the far corner, looking very embarrassed and as if we wanted to be invisible. They nodded at each other and turned around, agreeing silently that they would talk to him about it later.

"And Queen Titania, who is the lovely Miss Emilia O' Grady" Arnold noted a petite looking Senior. "who has assistance from all her minions. Of course they can't help causing trouble with the mortals."

Gideon gave another pause to let this settle in before continuing "And lastly we have a tribe of merchants and amateur dramaticians, who get caught up in the plot with humorous consequences."

The cast murmured, excitement bubbling. This was going to be great production. Helga leaned towards the blonde boy at her side.

"I can't wait!" he agreed with her.

"Now" Ernest Gideon's voice cut through the chatter, silencing it as quickly as it had started. His familiar smug look back in place, he carried on "you may be wondering about the two people by my side. Firstly we have Eugene Horowitz who is to be the stage manager for this production" The ginger boy waved and smiled blandly, clearly still nervous. However the cheers coming from his two blonde friends helped to dispel some of this, and the smile broadened.

"And on my left, is our head of music; Miss Hyde" the old woman observed the sea of faces before her with something that looked like mild discomfort. "She shall be writing all of the music for this performance. Furthermore each of the principals; that is the four lovers, Egeus, Theseus, Hippolyta, Oberon, Titania, Puck and Bottom (at this a smattering of sniggers were emitted) will each have a half hour private slot with her on Friday, as this is her free day" She gave a stiff nod, sending her grey curls bouncing. "NONE of you will miss this, or there will be severe consequences. They start this week, and you will check the list I have with me to discover what time your session will be. There will also be a general music session for all, every other Saturday noon starting in a fortnight. Of course these will be more frequent in time. I expect all of you to turn up"

Again there was muttered agreement from the crowd.

"Lastly, I will send a notice out for all those interested in helping as a stagehand, with the scenery or with the costumes, feel free to get involved. Thank you for coming."

With that the majority of the cast started to disperse, heading to the large doors at the front of the room and occasionally mumbling thanks in the direction of the tutor. Soon all except those with principal parts, Miss Hyde, Eugene and the drama instructor remained.

Gideon motioned for them to gather round the stage, and he himself sat on the edge of it; letting his legs dangle in a childlike fashion and earning a reproachful glare from the music teacher at his elbow. Ignoring this he grinned at his cast.

"Ah, it is good to see you all together" they swapped brief glances at one another before focusing back on him. "We will need to do a lot of work, I'm sure. But I'm certain I made the right decision with each and every one of you." Giving half a cough, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and drew out a small sheet of folded paper. Unfurling it, he lifted it closer to his eyes and gave a grunt.

"These times have been chosen so that you won't miss any classes, they will all be during your free periods." A few groans were issued at that and Gideon wrinkled his forehead "You can't really complain about that?" but it was a rhetorical question and so he ploughed on.

"O'Grady 9am, Pataki 9:30..." Helga zoned out after hearing that Arnold's session would be following hers. Instead she shifted her eyes to Harold, whose face was strained in concentration. Arnold however was watching the happy couple, turning away in disgust when they started to kiss.

Staring at the floor he jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder. Looking up at Helga he realised that Gideon had finished reading the list and they had been excused with the sentence.

"You will get your scripts at next Monday's meeting"

Moving slightly to allow others to pass him, he traced the blonde girl's steps towards Harold who had a sheepish look plastered onto his face.

"Hey pink-boy, I had no idea that you were auditioning!" Helga leaned against the wall seeming very serene and at ease, the total opposite of Harold's flustered appearance.

"Well...I...er..." she flashed him a smile. Although Helga liked to think that she was the tough girl that she always had been, she didn't like to see anyone uncomfortable; even if it was the hulk of a former bully squirming in front of her.

"Its fine Harold" The said boy was still stammering when this was stated and stopped abruptly. They moved in very different circles now, and it was no wonder that he was shocked at this more 'composed' Helga.

"....Wha?"

Arnold observed the girl's smile grow bigger, showing off the hint of dimples in her cheeks that you had to strain to notice.

"Well we're all here coz we like drama right?"

the larger boy relaxed "Yeah well it started off as something I had to help in 'cause of bad behaviour and whatever, but I found that I really enjoy it."

Arnold turned to his old friend (if you could call him that) his green eyes twinkling as he said "That's great Harold!" and he really meant it.

Harold grinned back at him "Thanks" and dropped his hands to his side, absent-mindly playing with his car keys. "...Well I better be going" the pair nodded at him and said their goodbyes, watching him leave the studio as Arnold picked up the pile of books that he had left in the corner.

"That was surreal" Helga commented, giving a little shake of her head but smiling all the same as her companion returned, a stack of textbooks in hand.

"I know....good though" she agreed and they walked together to the car park where it was still pouring with rain.

* * *

"Shit!" Helga had rarely heard Arnold swear, and so she turned to face the blonde, raising her eyebrow in query.

He gave a diminutive laugh before dragging his gaze from the 'scenery' and directing it towards hers.

"Gerald's gone home and I have no lift" he gestured to all the empty spaces; even Harold had gone by now. "I didn't even think about it"

Helga shrugged. Though the rain was cold, she found it oddly refreshing. "I already knew that I didn't have a ride, I just figured I'd walk..."

"In this?" she rose her shoulders again before dropping them.

"Why not?" Another chuckle caught in his throat.

"You're crazy!"

"Perhaps" she joined in laughing "But at least I have fun whilst I'm about it." There was a short pause as she whirled away from him "Come on let's just walk home..."

Rolling his eyes heaven-ward even though she couldn't see him, Arnold matched his stride to hers as they started the weary trek home, finishing forty minutes later when they finally arrived at her porch.

They were soaked to the bone, not helped by the fact that Helga had started a game of splashing Arnold with the puddles, in which he had retaliated almost as whole-heartedly. And of course the rain had not relented one bit.

"Well I guess we're here..." it was her turn to roll her eyes

"Looks like it" she stopped when she saw him shivering "God Arnold!"

"What?" He looked puzzled

"Why didn't you remind me that I was wearing your sweater, you must be freezing!" She started pulling it over her head.

"Well you would have been cold then...and don't worry about it, it wasn't too bad" she handed the sodden top to him "anyway all that running kept me warm and..."

She interrupted with a scowl "It won't be much use now"

"Huh?"

"The sweater..." she answered simply, looking angry. Though Arnold couldn't tell whether it was at him or herself, he thought he had a pretty good idea.

"Don't think about it, I'd rather that you be warm" and he smiled encouragingly at her.

"Well...thanks I guess" He nodded and looked at her; taking in the tight wet clothes clinging to her slightly curvaceous body, flushed cheeks, sparkling blue eyes and her hair looking wild, one tendril sticking to her cheek. Without even thinking about it, he reached forwards and brushed it off.

"Perfect." He murmured this to himself, not realising that he had said it aloud until he caught Helga frowning at him with a curious look behind her eyes.

"Football Head?"

He jolted out of his trance and smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead.

"Oh god!" what had he even been thinking of? "I'm sorry Helga!" and with that he backed away from the porch and called to her "I'll see you at school" before retreating rather hurriedly down the street.

She stood stunned for a minute more, before retrieving her house key and slotting it into the lock, turning it and entering her home, shutting the door on the foul weather and Arnold.

What had just happened? She pinched the bridge of her nose trying to sop the pounding headache which was starting up, and wanting to capture some of her thoughts- to no avail. With a sniffle she hoped that she wasn't getting a cold, though of course, she pondered to herself as she trudged wearily up the stairs; it had been worth it.

Arnold got home quickly enough, and called out to his grandparents before running himself a bath.

God that had been awkward! Why was his brain not working today? He'd probably scared the living daylights out of Helga!

Ah well, he thought as he lowered himself into the tub full of steaming water, and immediately feeling a thousand times better 'it's not too bad'. Plus Helga was a friend so she'd understand that he had been a little zoned out today.

It was understandable with everything going on with Boxer and Lila and the play...

He halted in his tracks....yes Lila and the play...

He would see Lila tomorrow. Giving a sigh he lent back in the bath, before giving a small sneeze. Oh no, not a cold...but he surmised that he'd had fun this afternoon, and he suppressed the urge to explode into a fit of laughter as he recalled him and Helga childishly kicking water at each other.

She was such a mystery, he thought chuckling to himself. But he stopped when he remembered another mystery. Had Gerald asked Phoebe out yet?

He hoped Gerald had; those two were meant to be together. He considered that them dating would mean him and Helga inadvertently spending more time together, but that was fine...she was that bad.

With that that thought in mind Arnold decided to phone Gerald at the next opportune moment he had, and tipped his head back, he began singing to himself.

-----

_A/N He guys, I hope you liked this chapter. I know that it focuses alot on Helga and Arnold, but I felt that we really needed information from this chapter to make reading as smooth as possible Of course we have the re-introduction of 3 old characters here, who's stories will deepen throughout, as well as the introduction of some new ones, some of whom will also be developed. I know there's not much on Boxer here either, but I thought it was best to forego all that for 1 chapter, and instead explore Arnold's thoughts and imagination of the play, which was really fun to write! Okay so next chapter we will return more to the world of __the gang, and discover what has happened between Phoebe and Gerald, and also it will be time for the first music lesson (the lessons will be important later in the story). Also I hope you liked the Helga/Arnold moments...he's just a little dense and probably a little in denial! Any review good or bad and hope you enjoy. Any suggestions are welcome and I will try to get back to you personally._

_Thanks_

_Fiona :)_


	7. Chapter 7

Giving an uninterested sigh, Gerald Johansson leaned back into his chair and checked his watch for what seemed like the fifth time since he had entered the room. Staining his eyes slightly he made out positions of the miniscule black hands; 9:10. That didn't really make much sense to him, how could he still have 20 minutes left of Home Room? It felt like his half hour should be up already.

Rolling his eyes at his best friend seated beside him, Gerald continued to daydream, not paying any attention to the lecture that Emmerson was giving the class on the three As: Attendance, Attainment and Appearance. No, instead of thinking about this Gerald's mind mulled over the fact that he had yet to make any headway with Phoebe.

He had really meant to tell her how he felt, honestly. It just hadn't happened that way. Instead of revealing his true intentions, they had got an ice-cream at Slawson's (just as friends that is) and had a conversation featuring anything remotely safe to talk about. Afterwards he walked her home like a perfect gentleman and...

And nothing. He had bottled out. He couldn't do it. Instead he just waved her goodbye and then mentally kicked himself all the way back to his house. What could be worse than that?

The African American let out another sigh. Well that had been 3 days ago, on Tuesday. It was now Friday and apart from the odd 'hello' in between classes and a brief smile here and there, _nothing_ had happened. Gerald _still_ hadn't made his move.

Shifting a little in his seat, he met Arnolds eye fleetingly (earning him an encouraging grin) before sneaking a peek at her across the aisle.

He could see that she was in mid conversation with Helga, and he drank in the sight of her happy face flushed with emotion, her eyes sparkling as she laughed, oblivious to his gaze.

Chewing on the end of his pencil nervously, he realised that today was the day. His stomach did a lurch at thought of it, startling himself and making him clamp down with his jaw, missing the pencil and biting his tongue instead.

"Ouurgh!" Arnold swivelled in his seat to face the boy next to him, who had a grimace on his face and was holding his hands up to his mouth. Trying to avoid the stares from the class mates seated near them, the blonde boy leaned towards his friend.

"You okay?"

Gerald nodded and took his hands down, though wincing somewhat as he slurred "Yeh I jus' bi' ma thongue". Holding back a giggle, and indeed any look of amusement Arnold made a sympathetic expression before directing his efforts back to the homework he had yet to finish. Gerald thankful for the time to himself, returned to his daze.

Yes he would do it today. He wouldn't just spring it on her, oh no nothing like that. He would play it cool. On the phone last night Arnold had suggested that he ask her to go for a walk. Yes. He nodded to himself. That would do it. He would ask her for a walk and then tell her he had feelings for her. There wouldn't be any pressure because it would just be them. Yes. That was the way to go about it.

Ignoring his throbbing tongue, Gerald again looked to his watch. Phew at least Home Room was over in about 5 minutes.

Glancing back over to _her_, he caught sight of Helga raising her hand in the air and a small chuckle stuck in his throat. 'Good luck trying to interrupt Emmerson' he considered to himself.

The prediction proved true when after a minute the tutor was _still_ drawling on. "And of course though the Principal considers this to be the most important, I have my reservations. As my college profess always stated, 'you should never judge a book by its cover'...still it was only later that..."

"Sir!" finally fed up with waving her right arm in the air, in the vain hope that it would attract his attention, Helga fairly growled at the man now trying to draw a diagram of God only knew what on the whiteboard.

Shaking his head slightly and looking stunned, the teacher slowly craned his neck in the girl's direction. "Yes Helga?" he blinked, not used to someone interrupting him.

She heaved a sigh and lowered he aching arm "Sir, it's just that I need to leave..." his forehead furrowed. Leave? What on earth was the dear child talking about? They still had a good 4 minutes or so to play with.

"Leave?"

Biting back her temper, Helga clenched her jaw; she didn't have time for this. "Yes sir, leave. I've got a singing lesson for the school production starting at 9:30 am with Miss Hyde, and Mr Gideon said that..."

"Well of course girl" realisation had dawned on the ancient professor "Hop to it!"

Cringing slightly at the outdated expression, Helga rose from her chair, collected her stuff, shot a smile at Phoebe and then ran for the door hoping that she wouldn't be late.

* * *

Sprinting down the corridor, Helga narrowly avoided a misplaced trash can in her path, before rounding a corner and then taking a sharp left. Great, it would be just her luck to be late for her first meeting, and what excuse could she give? Finally sighting the door to the miniature music room she gave a grunt and collapsed against the wall opposite.

Good, Emilia was still in there. Allowing herself to gulp in deep breaths of clean, fresh air, she ignored the twinge of stitch that she felt in her side, and finally felt her heart still. Folding her arms in front of her chest, she looked the epitome of calm when the lesson finished 2 minutes later. She stood aside as the tiny senior exited wearing an uncharacteristic frown.

Taking little notice of this, Helga patiently waited until she heard Miss Hyde's shrill voice calling her to enter.

Grasping the cool metal handle, she swung the door open to reveal a compact space holding two chairs, an old, battered piano, a peeved looking music teacher and far too many doilies than one place should be allowed.

Setting down her things, Helga took the free chair to the side of the piano and waited.

"Well?"

Feeling a little puzzled by this reception, Helga turned to the musician. "Pardon?"

"Well, what do you sing?"

Again creasing her brow in thought, the blonde took a moment or two to answer. "Almost anything really"

"No, for the love of God! I meant pitch!"

Although having a pretty sharp temper herself Helga was startled find it on others, especially when this woman was being rude for no reason. Helga always had a reason.

Narrowing her eyes, she had to fight back a sarcastic retort before growling out "Metso-Soprano"

This seemed to be the right answer because Miss Hyde gave a curt nod, before handing Helga a sheet with lyrics on it. "This will be the song you shall sing as Helena. It appears about half way through the play, and is a solo. I expect you to know it perfectly by 3 weeks time when you won't be given any prompts."

The teacher then proceeded to play the rather flowery melody that accompanied the words, as Helga continued to stare at the page in her hands with a horrified expression on her face.

The lesson continued in much the same manner for the next 23 minutes or so, Hyde forcing her student to sing the first verse along with the piano.

When she was finally permitted to escape the room, the blonde was scowling so heavily that Arnold had to stifle back laughter for fear of his own health. All look of humour, however, was wiped away as soon as he had his own encounter with the old woman.

* * *

Plonking herself down into her chair for lunch at the gang's usual table, Helga looked utterly furious and let out a disgruntled sigh whilst she attempted to fish through her pockets. No one really wanted to interrupt her, and so keeping one wary eye on the irritated girl, they continued eating their lunch in at rather high speed fashion.

Finally coming across what seemed to be the offending item, she banged her fist down onto the table, a scrunched up piece of paper grasped between thumb and fore finger.

Nervously looking around before she did so, Phoebe leaned towards her friend and practically squeaked "What is it Helga?"

Arnold who was frowning somewhat shook his head "I think I know..."

Helga, who seemed finally able to speak, growled menacingly as she shook the page she was holding. "This" she spluttered before trying again more calmly "This is the song I'm supposed be performing as a solo!" and she flattened the sheet into the middle of the table for all to read before leaning back in an 'I told you so' manner.

Sid who had been craning his neck to see past Stinky, let out a flabbergasted "Wha?"

"Keep reading" Helga drawled, feeling a little more relaxed now that she saw the shock playing out on her friend's faces. Maybe Gideon would feel the same because "There's no way on this earth that I'm going to be singing that in front of God knows how many people!"

* * *

My Heart by Miss Edna Hyde

Ckeeky Demetrius look at me

It is I Helena; your fantasy

A Grecian without any animosity

Waiting for your call so eagerly

I'm waiting

Look at me now

I love you

Look at me now

I love you

My heart wants you now

I may not be as beautiful as Hermia

Perhaps I'm as graceful as a hippo with a hernia

I can't fight like Queen Hippolyta

But at least I'm not a lazy blighter

I'm waiting

Look at me now

I love you

Look at me now

I love you

My heart wants you now

Although I'm not rich, At least I have class

Even if my best necklace is made from brass

Though in football I always drop the pass

It's just as well that my hair isn't like grass

I'm waiting

Look at me now

I love you

Look at me now

I love you

My heart wants you now

I'm sure that you know

I can't shoot with arrow and bow

And even that I don't know how to sow

But you can teach me how to throw

-Away your love

I'm waiting

Look at me now

I love you

Look at me now

I love you

My heart wants you now

* * *

Re-reading it Helga felt her lips twitching a little. She didn't know whether to throw herself into a fiery temper, or to laugh insanely at the absurdity of it all. Making her decision even harder were the reactions of those who had now finished reading the page in front of them; Sid was gaping open-mouthed at it, Stinky was holding his hands up in mock surrender, Phoebe bit her lip, Gerald just glanced around, and Arnold...

That was it. As soon as she saw Arnold's face going red from suppressed laughter and a quirky smile in place, Helga tipped her head back and collapsed into giggles. As if this were the queue the others had been waiting for they joined in, Stinky wiping the tears rolling down his cheeks before commenting "Ma favourite part is 'bout Helga bein' as gr-gra-graceful as-as- a..."

"Hippo with a hernia!" Gerald finished.

However the blonde girl was too full of mirth to care, and she just let out a mighty guffaw.

Shaking his head Arnold took a good look at her, puzzling as usual about her sudden mood swings. It was something just so uniquely Helga, and he realised he liked that un-predictabillity.

Waiting for the laughter to die down a little, Arnold took a swig of coke before turning to his friend with a more serious expression. "You know my song was almost as bad"

She nodded at him, although this proved somewhat difficult as she was currently pressing a bottle of water to her cheek in order to cool down, so it looked more like a lop-sided wobble, starting Arnold off again.

"Although" he admitted "it didn't say anything about having hair like grass..." there was another chorus of giggles from the table, earning them a reproachful look from Boxer and his friends who were seated across the aisle.

"Aw stuff 'em" Helga said swishing her free hand through the air as if trying to swat a troublesome fly. However turning her blue eyes on her friends, all humour quickly left her face. "But honestly Football Head, I think we have a problem."

He agreed with her "I know, there is no way we can sing this stuff..."

"Yeh, and you haven't even heard the music to go with this...this..."

Gerald looked across at her with one eyebrow raised "Monstrosity?"

"That's the ticket"

Phoebe turned to her best friend seeming a little confused. "But Helga, won't Mr Gideon veto this?"

Helga shrugged "No idea Pheebs..."

"He won't even hear it till the group music practice" Arnold added as an after-thought, causing Sid glance over at him.

"So we won't find out for two weeks?"

The blonde boy gave a nod of his head, before wrinkling his brow "Wait...we won't find out?"

Stinky grinned across the table "On account of the fact that we signed up to help backstage"

"Well actually" Sid interjected looking important "Those guys are working backstage. I'm on the technical team".

Gerald rolled his eyes upwards "Yep, Sid and his virtual friends..."

Arnold however, didn't hear this. Instead he was caught in a kind of trance, staring over at Lila who was sitting at Boxer's table. She shifted in her chair uncomfortably, locking eyes with him and giving him a small smile before gazing down at her lap again.

* * *

Boxer's arm snaked around his girlfriend's waist protectively. He had seen the look that punk had sent her, and he didn't like it, especially when she was unhappy because of him.

"I'm sorry darling, I know I've been a bit short with you lately."

He couldn't help it though, some of the things she did were just so damn infuriating! It was like yesterday when she had banged his jeep door into the car parked next to his. Okay so it was an accident, but so what? That didn't change the fact that she had scratched the paintwork. Something being an accident didn't make it all alright. Why couldn't she just get it right!

Blinking a little Boxer thought he heard a faint sound, buried under too many layers to breach completely..."Why can't you just get it right!"... Of course, he knew that voice and that statement a little too well.

He shivered involuntarily and rested his head in his hands. He hadn't thought of him in so long! So why now? Why...?

He couldn't stay here. Standing up suddenly he backed away from the table, his face blanched and pale. Not really paying any attention, he knocked into a chair and sent it flying

"Boxer, wait! It's fine, I don't mind..."

But he didn't take any notice of what she was saying as he turned and fled the cafeteria.

Sitting down again, Lila looked worriedly at the senior across the table. "W-w-will he b-be okay?"

The muscular blonde didn't even look up at her; he was too engrossed in eating his meal. "Sure, Boxer has no reason not to, does he?"

"But..."

"Don't worry, he'll be fine...probably just forgot to do an assignment or something"

Relief flooded back into Lila, and she reverted her attention to played with her hands. "Well, if you're certain Kevin..."

"Course I am babes, what problems could Boxer have?"

She let a small sigh escape her lips. She guessed that was true, her boyfriend did have everything going for him, right? Still maybe she should...

"Don't bother going after him" Well if he was sure, he was Boxer's friend. Maybe she wouldn't go. Kevin finally looked up at her and nodded "It'll be fine". Feeling suitably reassured, Lila flashed him her ever so perfect smile. How could it not be?

Grinning back at her, he flipped his shiny hair out of his eyes before holding out his right hand. She twitched as though to take it, but stopped herself when she heard him saying "So you finished with that pudding?"

* * *

Gerald turned to his best-friend, taking in the anxiety etched into his face. "Man, what do you think was that about?"

The majority of the table had finished eating now and they turned to face Arnold, minus Helga who had left just before Boxer; rushing to the library to complete some homework for next period.

The blonde boy failed to give any recognition to them, continuing to stare at the empty seat opposite him blankly. After about a minute or so of this behaviour he muttered something about 'Seeing if she needed any help' and approached Lila's table.

"What's he doin'?" Gerald made a hushing noise, stopping Stinky in his tracks. This didn't help much as they couldn't hear the exchange that was occurring. They did however, take note of the body language and watched as Lila sent Arnold a weak smile and dismissed him. Hanging his head, their friend gave a nod and then exited the room.

Sid sank back into his seat, heaving a sigh "Well you know Arnold...always wanting to help"

Phoebe looked at him warmly "Perhaps we should just leave him alone for the time being, Lila seems okay and..."

"Maybe he needs some time" Gerald finished in agreement and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. The other two boys, knowing what was coming got up and left the table, giving the pair a moment of piece.

Now that they were alone, the African American's insides felt like they were doing summersaults and his mouth suddenly went dry. Realising that he was still touching her, Gerald removed his hand quickly, drawing it back towards himself. This was it...God what was he going to say?

"Er...Phoebe" Great start. She bit her lip and gazed up at him

"Y-y-yes"

Shoot, what now? Her gaze was so disarming... what could he? Should he?...But, but..."D'yoowanagofoalkinerpark?"

"Huh?" Oh crap, _that_ was confusing. He gave a gulp and slowed his words down, his face burning up.

"I-er-was w-w-wondering if you, maybe... or n-not maybe but de-de-definitely... if you wouldn't mind...erm that is to say if you wanted to go for a walk or something this evening?"

Realization dawning on her she beamed at him "I'd love to" happiness radiating out of every single one of her pores.

"Wha'? I-I-mean r-really?" She nodded

"Yes"

"That's great!" his grin grew wider, wow this was a lot easier than he thought it would be! "Cool...so I gotta go now, but I'll catch you later?" another nod. "Okay see you at-er- 7"

And with that, Gerald's whole week was made better. He knew that he'd have to talk about their feelings later, but right now he really was the luckiest guy in the school. Though his heart went out to Arnold, as he made his way out of the Cafeteria, Gerald Johansson realised nothing that afternoon could dampen his spirits.

* * *

Of course he hadn't bargained for Economics class in 5th period.

Normally he just spent the lesson, messing around with Sid in the back row, paying no attention and doodling pictures of himself surrounded by beautiful girls, expensive cars or something along that line.

However after the result of their last quiz, Mrs Pierks seemed to have finally gotten the hint that most of her students hadn't the foggiest idea about her subject. Hence she had devised a cunning plan.

Entering the room in her usual shuffley fashion, and squeezing her rather rotund figure through the narrow confines of the central aisle before finally reaching her desk, the convex individual pulled out a red board-marker from her briefcase. The smug look on her face was one of relish, and (thought Gerald privately) it was probably close to the expression she would have been sporting upon entering a MacDonald's.

"Good afternoon class" enthused Pierks, not waiting for any response (although she wasn't likely to get any) before ploughing on with the rest of her sentence. "Now for the next couple of lessons, I thought I would try and discover your depth of knowledge" Sid gave a groan, knowing full well that in his case, it wasn't much. "And so..." She wobbled around and wrote something on the board before swivelling back to the class with a lazy smile, revealing the words 'Class Assignment'. It was everyone else's turn to groan now.

Waggling a chubby digit at them, the tutor interrupted their none too subtle displays of exasperation. "Now this isn't going to be just any Assignment. I will split you all into groups of 3, and will give each group a topic to research. You will present it to the class in a week's time when, if you remember, we get together for our double period" Urghh how could Gerald ever forget about that? "Your presentations will last 15 minutes. No more. No less."

Opening the floral planner which always lay on her desk, she turned to the register and ran her index finger down it, calling out names randomly and placing people into sets. After a couple of minutes she reached "Gerald, you will be in a group with...Sid" he gave his friend a thumbs up "and....Rhonda" Oh no! Please tell him that he'd heard wrong! Not Rhonda...she was hell to work with; so bossy and snarky and...and...

"Hey Sid, what did she just say our topic was?" The boy looked up from clearing a spaced for Rhonda.

"Sustainable wealth" The only reply Gerald could muster was a grunt, as Rhonda flounced over and claimed the spare seat, her nose wrinkled up in disgust.

"Okay so fist thing's first." She jabbed a finger in their direction, causing Gerald to smack his palm to his forehead and mutter to himself 'It starts...'

"I don't intend to fail this subject, so _you both_ are going to work hard at this" they nodded convincingly. "Fine, I need a good grade to get into college." Sid's mouth hung open

"You're already thinking about that?"

She sneered incredulously "You're not?" the response was just a shrug, and so she pressed on. "Whatever...so what do you guys know about sustainable wealth?"

Deafening silence met her ears, causing her eyes to dart from one boy to the other.

"_What_?" she shrieked, earning herself a stern look from Miss Pierks. Lowering her voice to a hiss she regarded her two classmates. "You mean to tell me that you know _nothing_!"

"Well I know something..." she turned towards Gerald hopefully "I know what it's called" Sid snorted, but at the look that appeared on the girl's face, he turned it (rather unconvincingly) into a cough.

"Gerald Johansson, this is not a joking matter! I am not doing all the work for this!"

Rolling his eyes Sid decided that now would be a good time to direct the attention away from his friend. "Well I'm pretty good on computers, so I guess that I could make the whole thing up, you know so that it looks professional." This seemed to slightly appease Rhonda.

"Good...that means that Gerald and I can split the research 50/50."

"Why can't we just use your notes?" Gerald had never learnt tact.

"Because how will you ever learn?" Sid's prayers seemed to be answered, because his friend didn't say another word after that.

In the end, a larger part of his afternoon was spent cringing at Rhonda's criticism, and day dreaming about what would happen with Phoebe.

* * *

Arnold on the other hand, enjoyed a fairly pleasant afternoon. Although he felt anxious about Lila, this lifted somewhat during the course of the day. After all she had claimed that she was alright, and she certainly seemed it in Politics. It was obvious that Boxer had the problem, and though he felt a slight twinge of guilt, Arnold didn't have the heart to help him.

In fact his spirits had lifted in the car ride home when he learnt of his best friend's plan to talk with Phoebe ('And about time!')

Bidding his friend good luck, he arrived home and spent an hour or so with his Grandparents, decorating the living room. In actual fact he ended up more covered in paint than the walls (after an accident involving a tray of the neon blue his Grandma had picked out ['The colour of a summer's sky']).

"You seem much happier than you've been in a while shortman" Grandpa commented after Arnold finally finished laughing and surfaced for air. Hugging his aching stomach the boy looked up.

"Yeah, I guess I am"

"How's school been?"

Arnold explained about the production he and Helga were in, and about their songs and Helga's reaction to hers.

The older man considered his grandson with a knowing twinkle in his humorous eyes. "That Helga certainly seems quite a character."

Arnold chuckled "Yeah you could say that..." his face lit up with a smile, but then it faltered. "The only thing is Lila...I don't know if she's happy and I..." A comforting hand ruffled his unruly blonde hair.

"Shortman, trust me on this and just be patient. You can't help everyone, especially if they don't want to be helped...just see what happens". The boy mulled over this advice and realised that he was right.

"Thanks Grandpa, I'll bear that in mind."

Grinning at him, his Grandfather made a gesture "Great, now go change out of those paint covered clothes."

Starting towards the staircase, Arnold thought to himself how thankful he was that he had just participated in the conversation, not noticing the older man's grin grow wider as he left the room, or hearing him mutter something about being "Clueless".

Reaching his bedroom, he decided to keep his messy clothes on for a while, as inspiration took hold. Settling down on his couch, with his guitar pulled onto his lap, Arnold played a few chords, piecing them together until about 45 minutes later he had a lively tune, making him think of summer and hanging out with the gang.

* * *

Having been dumped by Phoebe for tall-hair boy (not that she really minded) Helga had agreed to a meet up with Rhonda and Sheena, Nadine having also discarded her friends in favour of a shopping trip with Lila.

"So then I was like, don't either of you have any idea. Of course I expected that from Gerald, but Sid was just as clueless..." Helga nodded along, not really caring or knowing what to say to that. To her surprise it was meek Sheena who piped up.

"Rhonda, do you realise that you've been talking about Sid and your project for the last 15 minutes?"

The girl paled and choked on the iced tea that she was sipping, making herself look totally undignified. "Wha'?" she spluttered, quickly covering up her shock with "N-n-no I haven't...and any way it's just so infuriating!"

'Sure it is princess' Helga thought to herself, but decided against mentioning it. Sheena just smiled blandly.

Deciding to change the subject, Rhonda focused on admiring her perfectly manicured fingernails. "So Helga, did I tell you that me and Sheena are on the costume team for the production?"

The blonde sat up "No you didn't"

"Yep...the textiles teacher put me in charge of yours and Lila's costumes..."

"Please tell me that you're not going to put me into anything hideous"

Rhonda's eyes flashed dangerously "Would I ever?" Helga pretended to consider this "No I wouldn't...It would embarrass my sense of style as much as it would humiliate you...though I did consider making Lila's a bit too tight."

Sheena's eyes widened, and Rhonda sent her a devious look. "What? She has been neglecting us...but no I wouldn't do that to anyone, and plus we're still friends." She shifted he gaze back to her nail polish, as if looking for any chips "And I know that she's having problems with Boxer..."

Helga nodded "Yeah I heard 'bout him taking off like that at lunch...I wonder what that was all about?"

Sheena seemed uncomfortable with this and just shrugged. "I wonder what's going on with Phoebe and Gerald?"

* * *

They were standing by the dock when Gerald turned to her, watching the cool breeze play with her hair, whipping it away from her face and out of her eyes. Tearing his gaze away from this, he looked down at his feet and gulped.

"Well the reason I asked you to come on this walk is because-b-because I like you" his cheeks grew warm "I l-like you a lot". He dared a peek at her face and took note of the astonishment which then softened into a smile.

"I like you too" she took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, as he laughed with relief. God she was so beautiful!

He suddenly realised that he was tracing the line of her cheek bone with his index finger. Her dark eyes widened and her mouth parted as he leant towards her until his lips brushed hers.

* * *

_A/N Hey guys I just wanted to say thanks for reviews and encouragement, Thanks to Hellerick Ferlibay for your advice, and also to Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro and Mony, and to everyone you has me on alerts and favourites. Okay so on to this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and the last one. There seems to be alot of stuff in here, but everything is relevant. What is up with Boxer? What's going to happen with singing lessons, why is Rhonda all embarrassed?...all coming later on. Plus we get to see an Arnold/Lila moment in the next chapter._

_Anyways, let me know what you liked and didn't like....I think the most difficult bits to write were the Geral/Phoebe parts so let me know if they've come off all right. Also what do you think of the song? I don't think any self-respecting music teacher would write something like that, but I'm thinking that Miss Hyde is something of an eccentric. I hope you like Arnold and his Grandpa's heart to heart, I felt that I hadn't really written much about his home life before, and I like the Idea of Grandpa being more aware of what's going on than Arnold is._

_Thanks for taking the time to read this, and hope you enjoy it :)_

_Fiona _


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Her__e it is...the next chapter, hope you enjoy...Oh and I don't own Hey Arnold or Footloose :)_

_

* * *

  
_

Arnold lay back on his bed, propped up on pillows as his green eyes narrowed in concentration. Blinking a little, he reverted their attention back to the words printed on the script in his hands, which seemed to move and wriggle before him. This was ridiculous, none of it was sinking in and the more he tried to concentrate, the worse it got. Heaving a sigh, he realised that he had read the same line three times over ('Full of vexation come I, with complaint. Against my child, my daughter Hermia.')

It was 11:57 on a Thursday evening, and Arnold could not sleep. To his credit, he had spent half an hour trying before finally switching on his bedside lamp and deciding to get a head start on his lines. Unfortunately this was not to be, and with a groan he set down the bundle of paper he had received at Monday's meeting, which had at least been short and sweet. Gideon had only stopped by to hand out copies of the play and asked them to learn their parts for the first scene of Act 1.

That was all well and good, but Arnold had to learn not only the lines of Egeus, but also Demetrius' as well, and it just wouldn't stick! He wondered if anyone else was having this problem, or even if they had looked at their script yet.

He supposed that Helga had, after all she took drama very seriously and had actually been excited to receive her copy ('Great, I can finally start reading up on my part!' Arnold had turned to her puzzled 'But I thought you already knew this play?' she just shrugged at him "I've read it before, but that was in 6th grade and I don't really remember much of it. Any way Football Head, I need to read it thoroughly before I can actually relate to my character.')

Arnold vaguely considered phoning her up, but decided against it. It would only give her a chance to gloat about her 'superior intelligence and acting skills' and even if she didn't act like that, Arnold didn't want to admit defeat to a person like Helga Pataki.

Anyway, wasn't he getting himself just a little worked up? So he didn't really get his lines…so what? He still had 3 days before practice and even then he wouldn't have to know them off by heart. Giving a grunt he turned off the light and rolled over. Might as well try to sleep again.

----

It was a full moon that night, which might have explained the fact that Arnold was not the only person who was having trouble sleeping. However, Phoebe Heyerdahl was kept awake with more pleasant thoughts than that of a school play.

Gerald and she had spent much of the weekend together, having finally confessed their feelings, and when they turned up to school on Monday none of their friends were surprised to find out that they were dating. Of course Helga had found out the minute Phoebe had got home on Friday night, but she'd had the grace not to spread the news.

All though their relationship had only lasted six days thus far, the Asian girl had never felt so happy. Only today Gerald had surprised her by presenting her with a single white lily and had given her a peck on the cheek, causing her to giggle and blush with delight.

Yes Phoebe was very happy indeed at the moment, and so not being able to sleep didn't bother her very much. Instead she closed her eyes and imagined what the next day would bring.

* * *

The air was crisp and cool on Friday morning as Rhonda struggled her way through the park. She very much regretted taking Helga up on her offer of going for a run. Wheezing slightly she reached the pathway into town and doubled over, gripping her knees and taking in deep breaths. Hearing a chuckle she looked around to the owner of the voice and caught sight of Helga leaning against a nearby tree.

"Come on princess...it wasn't _that_ hard!" Not having energy to answer Rhonda just rolled her eyes at her friend.

After a minute or so, she finally felt her pounding heart still into a more acceptable rhythm and so she straightened herself up. Feeling uncomfortable, she pulled at her t shirt which was sticking to her back, and wiped her hair out of her eyes.

"Urgh I need a shower". Her friend made her way towards her, and attempted to fan at herself.

"Okay I'll pick up my clothes and then meet you at your place" Rhonda nodded, this sounded alright with her.

After Phoebe and Gerald's relationship had started, they had decided to share lifts together. Hence Helga now rode into school with Rhonda and the girls.

----

Saying goodbye, they split up and Rhonda rushed home to shower, revelling in the warm water that poured over her and washed away the layers of grime. She took the time to rinse her hair, before stepping out into her foggy bathroom, a towel wrapped about her body.

Looking at the clock she noticed that there was still 45 minutes till school started, and so she plodded softly into her room and pulled out a couple of possible outfits, before switching on the radio. A background of static crackled before the booming voice of the presenter was heard.

'And now something for you to get up and go...Footloose by Kenny Loggins'

'_I been working so hard  
Keep punching my card  
Eight hours, for what?  
Oh, tell me what I got  
I get this feeling  
That time's just holding me down  
I'll hit the ceiling  
Or else I'll tear up this town  
Tonight I gotta cut…  
_

_Loose, footloose  
Kick off your Sunday shoes  
Please, Louise  
Pull me offa my knees  
Jack, get back  
C'mon before we crack  
Lose your blues  
Everybody cut footloose'_

That was how Helga Pataki found her friend when she entered the bedroom…dancing around in her underwear, a twisted towel on her head and a hairbrush being used as a microphone. A grin formed on her face.

"Some moves you got there Rhonda" the girl just pouted and chucked the hairbrush at her, a look of mock anger on her face. The blonde picked it up and started the mime herself

__

You're playing so cool  
Obeying every rule  
Dig way down in your heart  
You're yearning, burning for some  
Somebody to tell you  
That life ain't passing you by  
I'm trying to tell you  
It will if you don't even try  
You can fly if you'd only cut

_Loose, footloose  
Kick off your Sunday shoes  
Oowhee, Marie  
Shake it, shake it for me  
Whoa, Milo  
C'mon, c'mon let go  
Lose your blues  
Everybody cut footloose_

Rhonda let a giggle escape her lips as she and Helga both danced their way around the room in a highly exaggerated style.

The blonde certainly looked the part in her retro clothes; her legs were encased in some navy denim drainpipes with a white and blue top snaking over her torso and coming to the tops of her thighs. She wore a pink faux leather jacket and her feet sat snuggly in some matching hightops.

Bouncing around she shook her head and her backcombed hair seemed to crackle with electricity

__

FIRST - we got to turn you around  
SECOND - You put your feet on the ground  
THIRD - Now take a hold of your soul  
FOUR - Whooooooooa, I'm turning it  
Loose, FOOTLOOSE

The song cut out and both girls clutched at their stomachs as waves of laughter washed over them. Rhonda managed to raise an eyebrow at her friend

"Another interesting outfit Helga" She earned herself a smirk

"I could say the same about yours princess" the girl flipped her hand and made her way back to the bed, finally deciding on some black jeans and a cute tee with an angora sweater on top.

"You know that I love your clothes, right Helga?" The blonde perched on her desk chair and looked slightly bemused.

"You do huh?"

Rhonda made her way to the mirror and began to apply some mascara, unfortunately she was unable to close her mouth when doing so. Helga suppressed a chuckle at the sight of her friend resembling a goldfish. Once she set the makeup down, Rhonda peered back at her friend.

"Sure, they're so interesting...but I wish you'd let me..."

Helga, seeing where this was going put up her hands "No."

"But just one little makeover..."

"Rhonda, no."

"It wouldn't hurt..." The blonde faked a grimace and with a sigh her friend gave up. "Fine if that's what you want...but I'm sure it would have the guys drooling all over you."

Helga swung her legs, and glanced up at the girl "And why would I want that?"

Rhonda gave a little smile as she began to brush her hair "Not even Arnold..."

Her friend jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes "How do you..."

"Please Helga, I'm not blind! But to be honest I think Arnold would rather you be yourself than have you go through some renovation...alas for me"

The blonde stared down at her feet as an embarrassed blush pooled its way over her cheeks. "It's not...he can't...I-I-I wouldn't...n-n-not with..." she spluttered before finally looking up and pulling a face. "Anyway he likes Lila"

Rhonda nodded as she smoothed back her raven locks. "Well more fool him, she and Boxer are tight."

* * *

Lila had wanted to talk to her boyfriend about why he ran out of the cafeteria that day. However when she asked he just brushed it off. He didn't seem angry or anything like that, he just kissed her and told her not to worry.

So she convinced herself that Kevin was right, there was nothing wrong with Boxer. Instead they hung out together and they did fun things like driving to his beach house for the weekend with a couple of friends.

Life was perfect, Lila thought to herself as she relaxed into his touch. She was with the most handsome and talented guy in the whole school. She really was very lucky to have him.

On Boxer's part, he was enjoying the good-natured simplicity that went hand in hand with going out with Lila. He realised that she had a calming effect on him, and so he pushed all thoughts to the back of his mind. It didn't really matter, after all she wasn't going to find out his secret. Anyway he needed distraction from the hurt.

Convincing himself that this was right, he managed to almost completely burry his guilt. Of course almost wasn't totally, but he managed to appease this fact by showering her with attention and gifts. After all she deserved them didn't she? She was good to him and he didn't want to spoil it.

He may have been used to getting what he wanted, but Boxer didn't take things for granted. Yes he was selfish, but he did also care. So he did everything to make certain that his girlfriend was as happy as she could be.

He jiffled slightly in his position on the sofa in his living room, and patted her upper arm. "Come on babes...we're going to be late for school."

"Oh, right." She jumped off of his lap, and freed him to get up. Grabbing their bags, they exited the house and he let her into his jeep.

Starting up the engine Boxer looked over at her and drank in her beauty, the tilt of her chin, the shine in her hair. "You wanna meet up and practise lines tonight"

Oh yeah...he had almost forgotten.

"Sure, do you wanna get together with Lola and Henry Worthing? We could grab some Chinese food or..."

Lila's brow creased in thought, as she turned to her boyfriend "Who?"

"You remember, they're playing Theseus and Hippolyta"

She nodded, of course. "I didn't know that you were friendly with them"

"Well...I don't know them very well but, I uh see them around."

She continued to nod, her head bobbing up and down as she looked for a CD to listen to. "Sure why not?"

Lila smiled sweetly, and Boxer joined in. He loved it when she was agreeable.

* * *

"No, no no! You're doing it completely wrong!" Miss Hyde's shrill voice interjected as Helga attempted to sing her godawful song. She merely blinked up at the teacher

"Excuse me?" The old woman stood and whirled around so that she was facing the girl.

"I said you're doing it completely wrong, the timing is out, you don't know the words..."

It was all Helga could do to hold her temper in place. She gritted her teeth together, praying that she would be able choke back any inappropriate words. "I'm doing the best I can."

The music teacher pursed her lips until they resembled a thin line, and stared at the student with cold grey eyes. "If that is your best, then I have no idea why you're even in this production! I don't know why Mr Gideon thought that you could play this part." Miss Hyde spat the words out venomously, her spittle covering the melody sheet.

The blonde who stayed seated, gripped the edge of her chair. She was fuming. How dare that woman! Again she spoke through gritted teeth, her voice calm but with a dangerous edge to it "I don't appreciate being spoken to like that."

The tutor stormed at her "Well I don't appreciate a student with no talent!"

That was it. Helga Pataki had to get out of this room before she snapped and did something she later would regret. Shaking slightly, she rose and grabbed her bag. Her jaw remained clenched.

"Fine, I'm sorry but I can't stay here."

"Now you wait a minute!" The girl turned away from the old woman and reached for the door handle. "We still have 10 minutes left!"

Helga never looked back, she opened the door and flew out of the room.

"You get back here now!"

The shrieks followed her as she sped down the hallway, not looking where she was going, turned a corner and knocked into Stinky.

Papers flew everywhere and she bent down to pick them up, blood still thundering in her ears.

"Helga, are you okay?" She looked up at her friend and saw the concern in his eyes, her features softened.

"Sorry, I just kinda had an argument with Miss Hyde." Her hand shook a little as she handed him some pages.

"Thanks. Where you goin now?" She shrugged...she didn't know really, she had just been trying to get away.

"I have no idea, but I still have half of my free period left."

The boy nodded and tried to file away the sheets. "Well I'm on ma way to the library if you wanna join me?" She nodded

"Yeah sounds good" and they started off together, Helga trying to match her stride with his enormous one.

"So what exactly happened?"

* * *

By lunch time, all of the gang had heard about Helga and Miss Hyde's 'little tiff'. Arnold for one wasn't surprised.

"Sorry Helga, but to be honest I could see someone cracking...she nuts!"

The blonde nodded and leant her head against her palm, feeling completely exhausted.

"It's okay, I actually managed to keep myself from blowing up too much. I'm just worried at what Gideon will say."

Arnold reached over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder "He'll understand. It'll be fine."

"God I hope so, I don't wanna lose my part in the production" She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, not noticing Rhonda approaching the table.

The brunette cocked an eyebrow and looked at the two friends. "Cosy"

Arnold, jumped and drew his hand back as if he had been scolded. His cheeks flushed and he stuttered "I-I...w-we weren't" Helga simply opened her eyes and grinned

"Chill Football Head, I don't think Rhonda suspects what's going on between us" the boy scrunched up his face in confusion before noticing the laughter and realising it was a joke. Gerald chucked a couple of fries at him.

"Man you are so gullible sometimes!"

Helga swung around to face the socialite. "So princess what brings you over here?"

Rhonda frowned. "Well actually I was looking for Sid and Geraldo, we need to practice for our presentation in Ecconomics."

The African American dropped his food and his jaw. "Oh shit!"

Sid turned to his friend "What is it?"

Rhonda was a little less calm, she jabbed a finger in the boy's direction and managed to choke out "Y-y-you have done it, haven't you?"

Gerald had the decency to look a little ashamed "I kinda left my bit at home"

"You what!?"

* * *

That was what led to Rhonda and Sid spending an hour on a computer together while Gerald drove back to his place at break-neck speed to retrieve the file.

Rhonda drummed her fingers irritably against the desk, and watched the boy on her right try to piece together an acceptable presentation.

She had seemed to calm down, though one could never be sure and so Sid ventured his thoughts in a meek voice ""I hope he gets back in time"

She nodded and flipped her glossy black hair over a shoulder. "Yeah, me too" she continued to inspect her nails as they clicked against the wooden surface. "Mind you, we can always say that it was all his fault. Maybe they won't take credit away from us."

Sid narrowed his eyes slightly, still focusing on the screen in front of him. "Yeah but you wouldn't do that would you?"

She raised a shoulder and dropped it "Maybe". The boy shook his head. He would never be able to see eye to eye with Rhonda Wellington Lloyd.

As he was thinking this, she moved her attention onto him, taking in his appearance. He still had brown hair which flopped into his piercing grey eyes, but it looked kinda sexy. The clothes he wore were...she supposed you could class them as indie; today he had an outfit of tight jeans and a plaid shirt which hung loosely over a white top with some sort of band logo on it.

Yes she could admit it, he was good looking in a sort of dorky way.

The problem was that there wasn't much dorkiness about him. Yes he was intelligent, but he was also funny and could be friendly, although he wasn't much to her.

Taking her chances she sidled up closer to him. "You need some help?"

Sid wasn't really much aware of her, but he was surprised when the space between them disappeared. He just shrugged and ignored it. "Nah I'm pretty much done. You wanna see?"

She nodded wondering why she was suddenly attracted to him and backed away. This was stupid. What was she even thinking?

She stood up and gave a small nod. "Sure"

Again Sid ignored this odd behaviour and pressed play.

From her position behind him, her eyes widened as she noticed the quality of the slide-show. Gulping she twisted her hands and tried to concentrate on the computer without smelling his aftershave.

As soon as it finished she gave him a quick smile and then blurted "That was great...but I um...I have to get going...I'll see you in Economics" With that she picked up her stuff and fled.

Sid turned to say goodbye but she was already gone. 'What the heck was that about?'

Fortunately Gerald got back in time and the presentation went well, earning them all a solid B. But Rhonda tried her best to keep a distance between her and Sid. 'I must be going crazy!'

* * *

Saturday morning dawned bright and early, and it found Helga standing on Arnold's porch in the rain, hugging her mac around her and tapping her foot impatiently.

Where was that Football Head? They agreed to meet 10 minutes ago and she didn't want the meeting to start without them.

Finally the front door creaked open and Arnold slipped out, nearly dying of fright when he saw Helga glaring at him.

"I didn't know that you were here already!" she stomped off the steps and started walking

"You're late"

Arnold rushed up to her, and pulled out an umbrella "Wait Helga, you don't wanna get wet"

She sighed, it was a bit late for that, but a smile curved at her lips when he opened the umbrella and held it over the both of them.

"Thanks, I'm sorry I was a little grouchy"

He grinned "It's fine, I would be in your position"

"My position?"

"Yeah well you've got to deal with Miss Hyde at music practice today"

Helga groaned...she had forgotten about that.

The pair actually managed to arrive at the school theatre five minutes early, and they took a seat next to Eugene, watching as Gideon buzzed around talking to people.

Finally when the clock struck 10am he strode onto the stage and surveyed the crowd. "Good morning cast. I trust that you aren't too tired". A few students grunted, but the teacher chose not to acknowledge this and ploughed on.

"Well as you know, this is our first group music session. I will be hearing the songs for the first time today, and so I hoped to be impressed." He smiled at them all, his eyes twinkling, and Helga wasn't the only one who felt that he would be disappointed.

Clapping his hands together he bellowed that they would be singing the first number. Ernest Gidion then plopped himself down into a seat in the first row, his face grinning eagerly as the students filed onto the wooden platform.

Miss Hyde seated herself at the piano, played a flowery melody and then the song started, the students gapping at the lyric sheets in their hands.

* * *

A Midsummer Night's Dream, by Edna Hyde

_Oh twas a summer unlike any other,_

_As towns folk cried "Bless me mother"_

_Greeks and fairies held a dance,_

_Of burning passion and romance,_

_Though they didn't see eye to eye,_

_The young lovers consisting of Lysander and his Hermy-ie,_

_Demetrius and fair Helena who_

_Couldn't restrain what they already knew!_

_----  
_

_Love and music we all scream,_

_Come and see our Midsummer's dream,_

_Come and listen with your ear,_

_As we recount tales from Shakespeare,_

_----  
_

_There is Theseus who over Grecians doth rule,_

_Then enters Hippolyta his hard won mule,_

_Egeus is the old father figure,_

_Though his rule of Hermia holds no rigour,_

_Titania and Oberon like to play_

_Puck and the fairies chase humans away,_

_Then there are merchants who frolic and fawn,_

_Whilst their friend Bottom sleeps on the lawn!_

----

_Love and music we all scream,_

_Come and see our Midsummer's dream,_

_Come and listen with your ear,_

_As we recount tales from Shakespeare,_

----

_So journey with us deep into the woods,_

_But please try not to ogle the goods,_

_For whilst we enjoy your presence here,_

_From the mischievous fairies there is much to fear!_

_Let us sing and lead a merry chase,_

_But there ends our song so let's make haste,_

_To the story which it is strictly told,_

_Must be savoured before we're too old,_

----

_Love and music we all scream,_

_Come and see our Midsummer's dream,_

_Come and listen with your ear,_

_As we recount tales from Shakespeare!_

_

* * *

  
_

As the song continued, Gideon's face became blacker and blacker, until when it finally finished he rose out of his seat with a sudden bout of energy.

The cast stopped and stared up at him as he marched towards Miss Hyde.

"What was that?" he roared at her, turning a nasty purple colour and a vein popping out on his forehead.

The old lady stood up and glowered at him. "And what precisely do you _mean_ by that statement?"

"You know very well what I mean, it was absolute rubbish!"

Miss Hyde clutched at her chest and sucked some air in through her teeth. "How very dare you!"

"How dare I? No. How dare you present me with this tosh"

The heads of the students snapped backwards and forwards from one teach to the other. It was like watching a tennis match as they slugged the ball to their opponent. Although the unanimous hope was that Mr Gideon would win.

"Tosh and rubbish...I-I-I have never been so insulted" The music teacher slashed her hand through the air. "I-I won't stand it!"

Ernest Gideon's mouth twisted into a sneer "Good, because I don't want you writing the music for the production."

What?

Arnold nudged the blonde girl at his side "Er what just happened?" she shook her head. She didn't know.

"Fine if that's what you want!" The music teacher collected her papers and then left the room to a stunned silence.

No one was particularly sad to see her go, but neither did they know what would happen next. Who would write the music for the play?

The head of drama stayed only long enough to thank the cast and remind them about Monday's meeting before he too left.

The cast stood in clumps on the stage, unsure of how to react. Nervous chatter broke out.

"Well I guess that my argument with Hyde doesn't matter that much anymore"

Arnold looked at Helga "I guess not". But his attention was distracted as he saw Boxer rush out of the room after Gideon, leaving a stricken looking Lila. "I'll be right back..."

Helga saw as he made his way over to the forlorn looking red-head and mentally kicked herself. What had she honestly thought? That he was going to forget her?

Watching them talk together, and seeing Arnold's face light up, she made a decision and left the room to walk all the way back home.

* * *

"Hey Lila, you okay?"

She raised her deep brown eyes to his and gave a smile. "I'm fine Arnold, really"

The boy scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably and shifted on the spot. "Good...that makes me feel better, I was worried when I saw your boyfriend..."

"Boxer" she intercut

"Yeah, when I saw him leave"

Lila then did something so unexpected that Arnold nearly jumped out of his skin; she reached over and grabbed one of his hands, clasping it in her own.

"Please try to understand, he makes me happy." Arnold could do nothing but nod ferverently. "I mean it Arnold, people don't seem to realise it....and I know that you don't like him..."

The blonde sighed and patted her hand with his spare one. "It's not that Lila it's just that I..." could he say he had feelings for her? Did she already know? She had been aware when they were younger but that didn't necessarily mean that she knew it now. "...I just care about you a lot"

She smiled up at him, and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "Then be pleased for me Arnold" He again nodded, God she looked so beautiful! "And try to get along with Boxer"

"I'll try"

Lila reached over and pulled him into an embrace. "You're a great friend"

She smiled once more before letting go and walking off.

Arnold couldn't help feeling smitten.

* * *

__

A/N: Hey guys, so what do you think about this cha_pter? I'm not too pleased with it to be perfectly honest, I feel like there's something missing from it...but it does give important information, and some stuff to think about; why does Boxer feel guilty? Is Rhonda developing a crush on Sid? What's going to happen to the production? Is everything going to be okay between Arnold and Helga?_

_Not one of the best chapters, but certainly important in the story..._

_Hmm suffering from a bit of writers block at the moment, but I know exactly what is going to happen so I'll try and get over that and deliver the next snippet soon!_

_Thanks all for reading this and for the reviews, it's nice to hear from you :)_

_Oh and I hope you liked the song!_

_Fiona xx_


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